Where Did The Moon Go?
by PrussianAwesomeness
Summary: I knew that we were in mortal danger, but oddly, I didn't care. I was happy to see his face again and I couldn't wait to break it into pieces. It's what the stupid loveable jerk deserved. Sequel to It's Bloody Early Evening, FrUK, one-sided USUK
1. Preface

Preface:

I could feel my legs going numb from exhaustion as I pushed my way past the crowd. Or perhaps it was from the cold – I wasn't really sure.

Feliciano had said that there was a very strong chance we would die in the sunny yet frozen hell. Perhaps it would've ended differently if he could be running with me and not trapped by the bright sunlight that would make him shine like snow under my feet. It was all up to me, and I was terrible at running.

So, in a weird way, I was thankful that we were fully surrounded by our bloodthirsty enemies. At least, when I failed, I would die immediately. I didn't want to live if I failed.

The clock struck noon and the sun shone from above in the exact centre of the sky.

It was too late.

We were doomed.

I had failed.

We were going to die.

* * *

**A/N: Welcome to the sequel to _It's Bloody Early Evening_! Updates will not be as fast as they were for the last story, I'm afraid. But don't worry, I won't abandon this story :D **

**Review?**


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One:

I think I might've been dreaming. I'm not too sure, but I'm pretty sure I was. For one thing, I was in a very sunny place. Too sunny to even be St. Helens, where I lived. Secondly, I was looking at Grandpa Artie – who, may I add, had been dead for at least a decade now. Either he decided to haunt me after so long, or I was dreaming.

Grandpa Artie still looked the same from when I last saw him so long ago – that wrinkly withered face with large grey eyebrows, the twinkling green eyes and the scowl on his face. Yup, just the way he used to look like.

Our jaws both dropped at the sight of each other. Obviously, Grandpa Artie hadn't been expecting to see me in this sunny place either. I opened my mouth to ask him where we were and saw Grandpa open his mouth too. I closed it to let him speak just as he did the same. I stared at each other awkwardly.

"Arthur?" a musical voice called out, the French accent just barely there. Grandpa and I both turned around to find the source of the sound, though I already knew who it was.

Francis strolled over to me, a beam on his face; his arms open as he stepped into the sunlight.

I blanched, thinking of Grandpa. He didn't know I was gay – or that I was dating a vampire. Nobody knew that last bit; we were trying to keep that part a secret. So why the hell was Francis exposing himself to Grandpa like this? How the hell was I supposed to explain to my grandfather that my extremely attractive _boy_friend was a sparkly vampire? With my luck, he'd probably haunt my father and suggest that I be sent to a mental asylum.

I turned to face my grandfather with a panicked expression on my face, trying to figure out a way to explain Francis's sparkliness. It was too late; Grandpa was staring at me in panic, obviously horrified of Francis. Francis ignored the look of panic on my grandfather's face and put his arms around me, resting his face on my shoulder.

And then – this was the really weird part – Grandpa's expression changed. He seemed sheepish, like he was waiting for me to say something to him. He held his hands at his chest, as though he was holding on to something – the way I was holding on to Francis's hands that were around my chest…

And that's when I noticed it. The large oval like frame that encircled my grandfather's figure. My eyes widened, panicking rising as my grandfather's did the same. I reached out to him and Grandpa did the same. Rather than meet his warm [or maybe corpse cold] fingers, I was met with cold glass.

Just like that, my bizarre dream had turned into a nightmare.

That wasn't Grandpa I was looking at.

I was looking at me in a mirror, Francis the vampire completely unseen in the reflection. Me with wrinkled and withering skin, me with the large grey eyebrows – me looking ancient and old and Francis still looking like the seventeen year old he would be for forever.

Francis leaned in and pressed his lips to my wrinkled, horrible cheek.

"Bon anniversaire, mon cher," he whispered.

* * *

I woke up with a bitten back howl, my heart beating wildly. Yes, so it was indeed just a dream. Thank God.

I glanced over at my alarm clock [7:00 AM] and looked upwards at the calendar. I blanched, staring at the date. It was my birthday. Freaky. Was I developing Feliciano's strange power or something?

I was officially eighteen, and older than Francis. For some reason, I despised that. I hated knowing that I was older than Francis, and would progressively get older than him until I eventually died [probably of heart attack, the Kirkland family was famed for dying from cardiac arrests].

I pulled myself up into a sitting position, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. I might as well get ready to school. I stumbled into the washroom, blinking at my reflection in surprise. I somehow was expecting to see the old man version of myself staring back at me like in the dream. I shuddered. I never want to become that wrinkly in my life [I admit, when I pictured old me the first time after waking up, I considered using botox as a premeditated measure].

By the time I got downstairs to grab an apple to eat on the way to school, Albert was gone, a wrapped package waiting for me on the table. I paused and stared at it, frowning slightly. I had specifically told my parents that I didn't want to get any presents…

It was a camera. I blinked in surprise, picking up the box to stare at its fancy name better. Albert had gotten me a camera? I must say, despite the fact I had asked for no presents, I was quite pleased.

My mother had gotten me a 6-box book set of Jane Austen novels. I blushed, looking around. Jane Austen truly was a guilty pleasure of mine, something I never wanted anyone to hear about. I marvelled in the books, flipping through one of them absently before remembering that I had to get to school. I sprinted out the door with an apple and my bag and ran to my truck, climbing in and driving off.

I fiddled restlessly with my radio, making a face at its bad reception. I knew that I was attempting to distract myself from the fact that today was my _birthday_ that I was officially older than Francis but the thought just came rushing back, bringing my mood lower and lower as it did.

By the time I reached school and parked my truck, my mood was at rock bottom.

Until I saw Francis.

It always surprised me whenever I saw Francis. He looked like the very person I would avoid – French, flirtatious…_French._ He never lost the ability to make my heart beat faster, although, I would never tell him that.

As I walked towards Francis, I noticed his younger adoptive brother Feliciano standing beside him, a small wrapped present in his hands. I narrowed my eyes at the sight; I had distinctly told Feliciano multiple times to _not_ get me a birthday present.

"Ve~ Happy birthday, Arthur!" Feliciano exclaimed, waving franctically. I glared at him.

"Not so loud!" I hissed, looking around to make sure no one heard.

"Why don't you want anyone to hear? Birthdays are fun! I don't really remember when mine is but fratello lets me have my birthday on the same day as him and we all go to the amusement park because I love roller coasters and fratello makes a comment about how slow the rides are and then Antonio reminds him that he screamed the entire time and then fratello will mad and then-"

"I don't like birthdays."

"Do you want to open your present here or later?" Francis asked me, wrapping an arm around my waist and kissing my lips lightly.

"Never, preferably," I answered and Francis rolled his eyes.

"Why do you dislike birthdays so much?" he asked me.

"I get older," I answered and Francis scowled.

"-and Ludwig would argue with the vendor guy and get me a free teddy bear and tell me to stop crying because it was embarrassing for 'a man of your age to be doing that' and then I would ask for a kiss and then he'd kiss me and mama Elizaveta would get all happy and take pictures and oh! Did you like the camera Albert gave you?" Feliciano asked suddenly, looking eager.

"Yes I did, it's too expensive for me though. I'm afraid I might break it," I answered with a laugh, looking away from Francis's scowl. Feliciano laughed too, his voice musical and like wind chimes.

"What about the book set thingy? The books by that Jane lady! What was her last name again? Jane A-something." Feliciano scrunched up his face in thought.

"Jane Austen?" Francis asked, pleasantly surprised.

"Yes! That's it!" Feliciano said exuberantly.

"I didn't know you liked to read romance novels, mon chou," he teased and I glared at him.

"I-I don't. My mum must've though I would've liked reading it – when I don't," I lied quickly.

"Ve~ but… in my vision you looked really happy when you opened the present!" Feliciano said confused. My face burned as Francis laughed. "So, when are you bringing Arthur to the party?" Feliciano asked. Francis grimaced as I turned to glare at him.

"Feli…you weren't supposed to tell him. It's a surprise for a reason," Francis told him. Feliciano looked horrified.

"I'm sorry!" he cried out, looking like he was about to cry.

"But it's ok! I'm sure Arthur would prefer not being surprised," Francis added quickly.

"I'd prefer not having a party at all, actually," I interjected, glaring at Francis.

"Like I said, Arthur would prefer not being surprised," Francis said, ignoring me.

"I can't come to the party – I have homework to do," I answered, really not liking the idea of a party. I wasn't a party person, in case you didn't realize it.

"B-but! It's your birthday! Who does homework on their _birthday_?" Feliciano demanded, scandalized.

"I do," I answered.

"What homework do you have?" Francis asked me, resting his head lightly on my shoulder, smirking as he heard my heart jump in surprise.

"I have to watch Romeo and Juliet," I said quickly and it was true; Mr. Winston had said that in order to really understand Romeo and Juliet, we should watch it.

"Watch it later!" Feliciano protested.

"No – I have to watch it for tomorrow," I replied and Feliciano pouted.

"I'll watch it with him and then bring him to our house at around seven – it'll give you enough time to prepare," Francis told his brother and Feliciano beamed.

The bell rang. "I can't wait to see you there, Arthur!" Feliciano said excitedly. He threw his arms around me for a hug and then ran off before I could say anything.

Francis and I walked towards our first period class [we now had almost every class together thanks to Francis and his powers of seduction], I pointedly ignoring him as he went on about wonderful birthdays are.

We walked to the back of the class, no one questioning why. Everyone seemed to accept the fact that we were dating – even Taylor and Michelle. Michelle even stopped giving me sad glances, preferring to spend time with Peter, who she had now developed an on and off relationship with.

I fumed in my seat about the fact that Feliciano and Francis had wanted to give me presents. Being someone who spent most of his life with his mother trying to make ends meet, the fact that they wanted to spend so much money [the Payes were insanely rich – I guess that's what happens when you have lots of time on your hands and a son who can predict stock trends] on me made me feel awkward. Especially since there was no way for me to return the favour. All the money I earned in my part time job at the grocery store nearby went into my very small university fund. I was really banking on the hope that I would win a scholarship, but that was only plan B. Francis was still being resilient about Plan A.

As the day continued, I noticed that Francis didn't bring up the topic of my birthday again. I saw Feliciano try to, only to have Francis shoot him a look and silence him. We sat our table for lunch, and I saw Francis nod at Kiku in greeting. It always surprised me that the moment Lovino, Ludwig and Antonio, the older, 'more intimidating' Paye boys were gone, our table grew to include my human friends. Along with Feliciano and Francis, Kiku and Ben [who seemed to still be dating, though still at that very shy first stage], Peter, Michelle, Taylor and Laurent sat with us too – although I didn't consider the last two to be friends. Feliciano got along surprisingly well with Kiku, and it amused me to see the well-mannered Japanese boy attempt to hold a coherent conversation with the always hyper Feliciano. The others seemed to ignore them; they only time they'd ever talk to me was whenever Feliciano and Francis skipped school on sunny days. Francis didn't seem to mind the fact that he was being blatantly ignored – a fact that always surprised me, considering how attention-loving the frog normally is.

The rest of the day flew by and like that, I found myself strapping my seat belt on, Francis sitting right beside me in my truck.

"Am I allowed to wish you happy birthday yet?" Francis asked me hopefully.

"No," I growled.

"Happy birthday to you~" Francis sang out. I turned on the radio and put the volume up as far as I could. Francis winced at the static. "You have a terrible radio," he informed me.

"I'm quite aware of that, thanks," I said through gritted teeth. Francis pouted.

"Why can't you just enjoy your birthday? It's a big day for you!" he pointed out.

"I don't like birthdays." Just like Harry Potter. But of course Francis wouldn't understand that.

As I parked my truck in the driveway, Francis leaned in, waiting for me to turn off the ignition before making his move.

"Bon anniversaire, mon chou," he murmured, pressing his lips against mine. I attempted to move away from the kiss but his hands found their way to my face and held it against his. My heart rate rose and I suddenly lost the ability to breathe. Just like that, it was over. "Like your birthday now?" he purred.

"No," I muttered, blushing deeply. Francis rolled his eyes and kissed me again, lighter this time.

"Let's hurry upstairs to your room so we can finish watching that movie and get to the party," Francis said, letting go of my head and unbuckling his seatbelt. I mimicked his movement, still feeling slightly shaky.

He grabbed my hand as we walked towards the door, sufficiently numbing my hand and making me clumsily fumble my keys around while trying to unlock the door. Francis found this all very funny – even though it was all his fault to begin with.

As I located the copy of Romeo and Juliet I had borrowed from the library, Francis made himself comfortable on the couch, lying down and giving me suggestive looks. I ignored him and inserted the old VHS copy into the player, fast-forwarding through the opening credits. I sat down on the edge of the couch as the movie began. I felt Francis pull me towards him and smacked his hands away. I wanted to be able to concentrate on the movie _without_ Francis trying to make a move.

"Arthur, we're watching a romance movie," he protested as I glared at him.

I turned my attention back to the TV and I heard Francis move into a sitting position beside me, wrapping and arm around my waist and resting his head on my shoulder.

He was surprisingly silent for the beginning part of the movie. I was able to listen to the actors converse and completely ignore Francis softly kissing my earlobe.

"Romeo annoys me." Of course, I shouldn't have expected it to last for very long.

"Why not?" I asked, staring at him. Romeo was one of those romantic figures, wasn't he? I would've thought that Francis would be enamoured with the character.

"First he's in love with Rosalind and claims he can't love another woman and then he meets Juliet and falls 'madly in love with her', despite the fact their parents are enemies. Then he goes and murders Juliet's cousin. _How_ is that supposed to make him seem like a good husband for Juliet in her parents' eyes? He ruins himself more and more as the play goes on," Francis replied. "He's a stupid character."

"You're just jealous," I muttered, not appreciating Francis destroy one of my favourite plays. I went back to the movie, completely ignoring Francis again.

Francis didn't speak again until near the end, when Juliet awoke from her induced slumber only to see her would-be husband Paris and Romeo dead at her feet. I was feeling a stab of pity for the girl, only to hear, "I envy her."

"I thought you hated Romeo," I said. Francis rolled his eyes.

"I do. I wasn't talking about _him_. I was talking about how easy it is for her to kill herself after she realizes her beloved is dead."

"And _why_ is that a good thing?"

"I once wondered how to kill myself since, as Roderich proved, it's not easy to kill our kind," Francis said lightly, nuzzling into the crook of my neck, eyes on the television screen.

"Why?" I asked, horrified. "Why would you want to kill yourself?"

"It was something I was contemplating when your life was in danger last year," Francis murmured, not looking me in the eye.

"And how were you planning to go about and kill yourself?" I asked, trying to the fury out of my voice.

"Going to Russia and provoking the Ceemya," Francis replied.

"What the bloody hell is a Ceemya?" I demanded to know.

"The Ceemya is a family," Francis said, rolling his eyes. "One of the oldest covens in the world. They're kind of our royalty, when I think about it. Roderich lived with them for a few years before moving to England. I showed you the painting of him with them."

I remembered now. The man with pale blonde hair and his two regal sisters. Ivan, Katyusha and Natalia. I completely ignored the movie playing now and turned to face him.

"And how would provoking the Ceemya make you die?" I asked, partially curious and partially furious.

"You don't provoke them. Ivan…Ivan does not appreciate annoyances. Neither does Natalia. You provoke them, it's the last thing you do," Francis replied. Before I could berate him on contemplating doing such a horribly stupid thing, he moved away from me, no longer cuddling into me but just sitting beside me.

"Albert?" I asked and he nodded. A few seconds after that we heard the sounds of my father's police cruiser roll into the driveway and Albert opening the door. To my surprise, he was holding Chinese take-out.

"Happy Birthday, Arthur," he greeted as he walked into the living room. "Hungry?"

My stomach grumbled, answering for me. I flushed as Francis and Albert laughed, storming into the kitchen to escape the mini blow to my dignity.

Albert and I ate in silence, Francis not joining us. Albert was far too used to Francis not eating with us to really care.

When we finished, Francis swooped in and stole my seat as I stood up to throw out the garbage. "Would it be alright for Arthur to come to my house this evening, sir?" Francis asked smoothly. I quickly prayed that Albert was the type who liked to celebrate birthdays at home with family only.

"There's a match on tonight," Albert mused and my hope dissipated. "I guess you can take him out – I won't be much company anyways."

"Bon," Francis said, smirking at me triumphantly. I scowled in response.

"You should take your camera," Albert suggested, picking up the camera. I took it from him uncertainly, not really wanting to take pictures.

"That's a good idea!" Francis agreed, taking the camera out of my hands and turning it on. Before I could do anything, there was a bright flash. Francis burst out laughing as he stared at the picture that he had taken of me. "That's a lovely expression, Arthur," he remarked and showed me the picture of me looking terribly surprised.

I glared at him and he took another picture, momentarily blinding me again. Francis and Albert laughed. I grabbed it from Francis and took a picture of him, hoping to blind him the way he had blinded me. No such luck, but the quality of the pictures was superb. Not going to lie, I was slightly disappointed that he showed in the pictures at all. Yet another vampire myth disproven.

"You kids have fun tonight. Tell Feliciano I say hi," Albert said, already getting up to walk to the living room. I rolled my eyes. Albert had become oddly attached to the bubbly Italian boy when I broke my leg. Feli saved him the trouble and embarrassment of helping me shower [though Francis had originally wanted to do that].

"I'll him," I promised as Francis took my hand and dragged me towards the door. I grimaced at the thought of going to a party.

Francis drove us in my truck, making it go faster than the truck would've preferred going [and me, for that matter]. He dropped subtle hints on how he could always get me a much faster car. I pretended that I couldn't hear him and turned up the radio, pretending that the static that came out was actually music.

"Can you do me a favour, s'il te _plait_?" Francis asked me.

"Depends," I replied.

"The last proper birthday we celebrated was for Antonio. That was in 1935. I know you don't like it, but we're all very excited for the chance to celebrate your birthday. Try not to be so negative," Francis told me, and I tried to process the _1935_. Jesus, I never stopped feeling taken aback when he brought up stuff like that.

"I'll do my best," I told him and Francis smiled a little.

"I should warn you that everyone's going to be there," Francis told me and I blinked.

"You mean, Ludwig, Antonio and Lovino are going to be there too?" I asked, surprised. "I thought Antonio and Lovino were in America." It was thought that the three older Paye siblings were all at University – Oxford, to be exact. I knew that Ludwig was still at home, but I had thought that Antonio and Lovino went to America.

"Antonio didn't want to miss a chance to party."

"And Lovino?"

"Lovino's going to be on his best behaviour. Antonio and Feliciano will see to that," Francis replied.

"This better be a tame party," I warned and Francis rolled his eyes.

"Of course it will. We're a group of vampires; do you think we can drink alcohol?" he asked and I laughed.

We pulled up to the house, my jaw dropping at the sight. It seemed that Feliciano had gone a little overboard in his decorating. Japanese lanterns hung on nearby trees and bright little lights were strung on the top of the roof. There was a large vase of flowers waiting at the doorstep. I blanched.

"Feliciano gets a little excited about parties sometimes," Francis apologized as we got out of the truck, pushing me forwards.

"I really don't want to do this anymore," I muttered, planting my feet into the ground.

"You promised you wouldn't be negative," Francis reminded me and pushed me towards the stairs. I sighed, climbing it. I flashed him a quick grin.

"Does this look negative to you?" I asked and Francis rolled his eyes.

"Non…but it looks very attractive," he replied, swooping down and kissing me lightly. Using my sudden light-headedness to his advantage, Francis pushed me into the door, walking in behind me.

"Happy Birthday, Arthur!" the group chorused happily, beaming at me with their blindingly white smiles.

I looked around with slight horror. Feliciano had gone all out with the streamers and balloons, and a banner was hung above the Payes with _Happy Birthday_ on it. Nearby Roderich's piano was a large table holding a magnificent looking birthday cake. Not too far away was a table with wrapped presents.'Feliciano gets a little excited about parties' indeed.

"Arthur!" Elizaveta exclaimed, rushing towards us and enveloping me into a hug. I tried not to shiver at the contact of her cold skin and wrinkled my nose as her chocolate brown hair tickled it. Roderich approached in a more dignified manner, shaking my hand warmly.

"We couldn't stop Feliciano in time," he told me, rolling his eyes as a gleeful looking Feliciano.

Lovino and Antonio were not too far away from them. It always surprised me when I saw Lovino; he was horribly attractive, probably the most out of the entire group, but he never had a smile on his face. It was no different today. He wasn't smiling, but at least he wasn't glaring either. Antonio stood beside him, beaming at me happily.

"¡Hola Arturo!" Antonio said enthusiastically. I eyed his rippling muscles and wondered if he had always been this muscular. It really _had_ been a while since we last saw each other. "You know, I thought you'd look kind of different now – but you're still just as red faced as usual!" he remarked and my face turned an even darker red, making him and Francis laugh.

"Thanks a lot," I said sarcastically.

"¡De nada!" he replied jovially, his beam growing. "Well I have to step out for a moment and get something – don't do anything fun while I'm gone!" he said, giving Feliciano a look.

As Antonio walked away, Feliciano came towards me – practically skipping. Without a word, he took me by the arm and started pulling me towards the gift table.

"I want you to open presents now!" he said excitedly when we reached the table, taking the camera out of my hands and motioning to a big box-shaped, silver-wrapped present. He seemed to be waiting for my response so he could capture it on film.

_From Antonio, Lovino and Ludwig_, the tag read. My curiosity was suddenly peaked. What did they get me? I ripped through the wrapping paper and pried open the top of the box, staring into its contents with curiosity.

It was empty.

"Wow…thanks, this is amazing…" I said, slightly confused.

Lovino smirked and Ludwig chuckled. "It's a stereo for your truck," he explained. "Antonio's gone to install it so you can't return it. It was Feli's idea," he added.

Of course Feliciano had been one step ahead of me.

"Thank you," I told Ludwig and Lovino, smiling at them. Lovino's smirk faded and he looked away. I decided to ignore that. I suppose that all of Francis's comments about my radio were leading up to this. "Thanks, Antonio!" I called out loudly.

I heard Antonio laugh from outside and decided that that was his way of saying, 'you're welcome'.

"Open mine and Francis's next!" Feliciano demanded, pushing the present into my hands. I put the box down to hold it, glaring at Francis.

"Don't worry, I didn't spend any money on it," he promised.

"You better not have," I muttered.

"I'm here!" Antonio cried out, running into the room, stopping beside Lovino. "I want to see what he got you!" he exclaimed.

I stuck my finger under the edge of the wrapping paper and ripped it open. The smooth paper sliced through my skin.

"Fuck," I muttered, pausing in my unwrapping to examine the cut. It was a tiny cut, so small that only a bead of blood came out of it. The drop of blood hit the paper.

Everything that occurred afterwards happened way too quickly for me to even remember.

"No!" Francis cried out, pushing me backwards. I yelled in surprise, hitting the cake and the rest of the presents. They crashed down with me, the glass plates that had been with the cake breaking around me.

Ludwig leapt forward, his eyes looking frenzied. Francis grabbed Ludwig by the waist and pushed him away from me, looking furious. Ludwig tried push past him, to get to me.

It was then when I realized my arm was in pain. Lifting my right arm up, I realized that there was a large gash from my wrists to my elbow. Feeling light-headed, I tore my gaze away from the blood that was pouring out of my wound to see the feverishly hungry eyes of six vampires.

Oh fuck.

* * *

**A/N: Wow, 20 reviews for the preface [that's like, less than 300 words long]? That is the most amount of reviews I've gotten for something so short. So here's a long chapter to make up for that ^^ **

**I love you all so much, like you have no idea. **

**The Ceemya is indeed this story's Volturi. I believe Ceemya is family in Russian, if my Russian friend is correct. **

**As all, read and review~!**


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter Two:

Thank God for Roderich and his immunity to blood.

"Lovino, Antonio, get Ludwig outside," he commanded in an authoritative tone. Antonio nodded seriously, pulling Ludwig away from me with his strong arms. Ludwig stared at me with ravenous eyes, and I looked away, insanely freaked out. It was going to take a lot to look him in the eye afterwards.

Francis crouched over me protectively, eyeing my wound with distaste. I noticed that there wasn't a regular rise and fall to his breathing and realized that he wasn't breathing.

Lovino looked smug as he helped Antonio pull Ludwig away. Elizaveta held the door open for them, covering her mouth and nose with a pale white hand. "I'm so sorry, Arthur!" she exclaimed, fleeing to the safety of outdoors behind her sons.

Roderich appeared at my side, lifting my arm gently and inspecting my wound. "Does it hurt a lot?" he asked me seriously. I shook my head. It surprisingly didn't. "We'll need a way to stop the bleeding though," he mused.

"Do you need a towel?" Feliciano asked, looking like he was ready to run and find one the moment Roderich okayed it.

"No, there's glass in the wound," Roderich said. "Rip a piece of tablecloth for me," he instructed and Feliciano rushed forward, eager to help. He ripped the biggest piece he could and handed it to his father figure, keeping his distance from me. "Would you prefer it if we took you to the hospital?" he asked me as he wrapped my wound.

"N-no," I replied. "I'd rather stay here." It was less of a chance of Albert finding out. Roderich seemed to understand why and nodded.

"Let's get him to the kitchen table," Roderich instructed to Francis. Francis lifted me up in my arms and Roderich held my arm steady.

"I'll go get your bag!" Feliciano said, rushing off to locate it.

As Francis and Roderich set me down on the kitchen table, Feliciano appeared, placing Roderich's bag nearby and turning on the lights so Roderich could see my wound more clearly.

I glanced at Francis and noticed the strained look on his face. "You should go outside," I suggested, knowing how hard it probably was for him.

"I can manage," Francis replied evenly.

"I think it's better if you were outside getting fresh air," I told him.

"I agree. Go find Ludwig and talk some sense into him. He's probably beating himself up for his loss of control. He'll probably listen to you best," Roderich agreed.

"Yeah! That's probably the most useful thing you can do right now!" Feliciano exclaimed. Francis frowned at the three of us ganging up on him.

"Fine," he said and stormed out of the house. I stared straight ahead as Roderich worked on stitching up my arm or whatever it is he was doing. I almost didn't notice a sheepish looking Feliciano escape from the room, not being able to take my bleeding any longer.

"So I can clear rooms," I begun conversationally. Roderich chuckled.

"It's not really your fault," he admitted. "It would've happened with any human."

"But somehow, it always seems to happen to me," I replied and Roderich laughed. "How are you able to take it?" I asked as Roderich pulled a particularly large shard of glass out of my arm. I made a face and looked away. So he _wasn't_ stitching my arm up.

"Practice and lots of endurance," Roderich answered. "Now it just has a small effect on me – I barely notice it," Roderich added.

_Plink, plink, plink._ I stared out the large open window as Roderich worked on getting all the glass out of my arm.

"Why did you even bother going the vegetarian route?" I asked suddenly as Roderich reached over to his bag. Roderich paused and glanced at me.

"I believe Francis explained to you why, correct?" he asked me, opening his bag and rummaging in it. I nodded.

"But I kind of want to know what you were thinking…your reasoning behind it," I replied and I wondered if he thought I was asking for when I would become a vampire [I refused to think of it as an _if_] and what I would be thinking.

"When you spend your teenage years and onwards with a clergyman, you tend to see the world in a more religious point of view. I'm not as religious as I was before, but a part of me still thinks that it's better for us to hunt animals rather than human. Maybe if we ever die, we would go with heaven," Roderich answered seriously. "Francis doesn't agree with me."

"He doesn't?" I asked, surprised.

"No, he seems to think that we vampires don't have souls," Roderich said, pulling out something triumphantly. I looked away quickly; it looked sharp. "Now this is going to hurt just a bit…" he murmured and I felt a slight sting in my arm as he applied a liquid to my arm. I winced just a little bit.

"Why not?" I asked.

"He thinks that we've lost our souls," Roderich murmured very quietly.

"I-is that why he's so adamant on not changing me?" I asked.

"Would _you_ want to take away his soul?" Roderich asked. I didn't have an answer to that. "I know that it's your choice, but you're going to have to talk to him about that. I have no say in this," Roderich replied.

We fell into a silence as I tried not to cry out as Roderich began to stitch up my arm.

"H-how did you change Francis? I mean, why him?" I asked.

Roderich was silent for a few moments, concentrating on my arm. "It was his mother," he answered finally. "Carla Bonnefoy. She had the same blue eyes and blonde hair that Francis has," he told me. "Her husband, Nicolas, had contracted the flu first and never woke up. She loved Francis very much and she risked her own chances of getting better to ensure that Francis survived. I honestly did think that Francis would die first, he was so far gone, but Carla went first. She was a pleasant woman, a true lady, and I had grown attached to her family – a stupid mistake of mine, as our kind can't take chances getting close to humans. I went to see her first and I saw that she had a terrible fever. We both knew her end was near. The last thing she said to me was '_Sauve mon fils. __Faites ce que vous pouvez, s'il vous plaît.'_ Save my son. Do what you can, please. The way she had said it…for a split second I had thought she figured what I truly was. She died a few minutes later."

"And Francis?" I asked quietly.

"I came back for Francis after wheeling his mother to the morgue. He was almost dead, just barely breathing, it was so easy to wheel him to the morgue too – no one would've noticed, we had been shorthanded on staff. All those years of careful action and careful behaviour was a waste; everything I did then was on a whim. I didn't know how to change him, so I just bit him the way the vampires bit me when I was first changed. I know now that I didn't need to do so, a small bite would've done. It would've been less painful too. I just carried him home after that and waited for him to change." Roderich made a little cut and moved away from my arm, looking pleased. "Your arm is fine, it'll just be sore for a few days," he said, putting away his equipment back into his bag. "I should take you home now."

"I can do that," Francis said, strolling into the room. There was something wrong with him; I knew that – he didn't look the same. There was something in his eyes that made me feel uneasy. I gulped.

"You should change first," Roderich said, motioning to my blood and cake splattered shirt. I nodded, standing up. "Feliciano probably has something he can get you – I'm pretty sure the moment he met you he started devising a new wardrobe for you ever since he realized you have a terrible taste in fashion," Roderich mentioned and I cracked a smile, still feeling nervous at the dull look in Francis's eyes.

"I'll go get him," Francis said emotionlessly, already out the door before I could say anything.

"He's really upset," I said nervously. Roderich nodded.

"It was what he was dreading most," Roderich answered, motioning for me to follow him back into the living room.

We found Elizaveta in a simple green dress and apron; cleaning the spot on the floor where I had fallen with the strongest bleach I have ever smelt. She smiled at me apologetically.

"I should be doing that," I said, stepping forwards. Elizaveta shook her head, wiping her hands on the apron.

"Its fine, I'm already done. I was planning on doing some housecleaning anyways," she said, motioning to her dress.

Feliciano and Francis appeared at the door. Feliciano flew to my side, but Francis hung back at the door, his face still stoic. I let Feliciano drag me upstairs, feel at unease.

"I have the perfect shirt for you!" Feliciano exclaimed, pulling out a dress shirt that looked exactly like the one I had been wearing…but more expensive looking.

I didn't bother asking him how he knew my size, pulling off my dirty shirt and putting on the clean one. "How bad is it?" I whispered as I did, that nervous feeling never leaving.

"Your wound?" Feliciano asked. I shook my head. "Oh…ve…I can't see for sure yet," he answered quietly. "Whatever Francis is thinking, he hasn't decided on anything yet."

"And Ludwig?" I asked.

"Ludwig feels really bad for what happened," Feliciano told me, looking sad.

"Could you tell him that it wasn't his fault and that I don't blame him in the least?" I asked. Feliciano brightened up.

"I can do that!" he said cheerfully and I smiled at him.

I followed him back downstairs in my clean new shirt [Feliciano had taken the other one away with the excuse that he wanted to wash it, but I had a feeling he was going to burn it because it found it so ugly].

"Here, take these!" Feliciano exclaimed as I hurried to the door, handing me all my presents, precariously balancing my camera on top of them. I staggered to my truck after Francis, who had already walked out of the house. I saw Elizaveta and Roderich exchanged a worried look but they didn't say anything.

The drive to my house was quiet…too quiet. It unnerved me.

"I'm sorry," I apologized, fiddling with the wrapping paper of the present Feliciano had given me, the present that had caused all this trouble.

"Why are you apologizing?" Francis asked in confusion.

"This was all my fault. I'm sorry," I replied.

"_Your_ fault? Arthur, are you talking sense right now? If this very scenario had happened at say, Taylor's house with Peter and Kiku there too, what would've happened? You would've gotten a paper cut and Taylor would've had to go get you a Band-Aid. The worst thing that could happen from that is that Taylor's out of Band-Aids so you have to walk around with an open little cut. If you somehow managed to fall into a bunch of glass plates – rather than have someone _throw_ you there – and hurt yourself, all that would've happened is some minor panic and a trip to the emergency room. I bet Taylor would've even held your hand and told you it was going to be alright," Francis spat at me.

"How the fucking hell did _Taylor_ get into this conversation?" I growled.

"Because he, unlike _moi_, is a better candidate for you! A safer one too – _he_ wouldn't suck your blood out at the sight of a mere paper cut! _His_ siblings and friends wouldn't try attacking you because of one drop of blood!"

"Taylor is disgusting. I'd rather die than be with him," I snarled.

"Don't be melodramatic," Francis snapped at me.

"Oh, so _I'm_ the one being melodramatic? Look at yourself. You're being ridiculous," I told him. Francis didn't reply, staring straight ahead with a furious look on his face. I let out a huffy breath of air and stared out the window, away from him. Only I would be able to get into a life-death situation _and_ an argument with my boyfriend on my birthday. I must have the most amazing luck in the world.

When we reached my house, Francis turned off the ignition, still looking furious. We sat in silence.

"Are you staying?" I asked him finally.

"No."

"It's my birthday," I reminded him.

"I thought you didn't want your birthday to be acknowledged," Francis pointed out.

"Well I feel like it being acknowledged right now," I told him huffily. I opened the passenger door, stepping out and turning around to grab my presents.

"I thought you didn't want your presents," Francis said.

"Well I want them _now_," I replied, still angry from our argument. Francis rolled his eyes at me.

"Of course you do," he muttered.

"I heard that," I said, slamming the door shut a little too hard with my injured arm. It throbbed slightly and I bit back a wince. Francis came to my side and took the presents from my arms. "What are you doing?" I demanded.

"I'm taking them to your room," he replied.

"Oh. Thanks," I muttered unceremoniously. Francis smiled slightly.

"Happy birthday, Arthur," Francis said, leaning down to kiss my lips gently. I kissed him back, trying to make it last longer. His smile grew and I saw him disappear into the darkness, possibly up to my room.

"Arthur?" my father called out as I walked into the house.

"How's the game?" I asked, kicking my shoes off.

"We're winning," he answered triumphantly and for a split second I wondered what game he was watching. Remembering that I didn't really care, I walked upstairs to my room. Albert was too absorbed in the game to notice my injury, but I knew he'd notice it sooner or later. I walked into my washroom, where I had left my pajamas while rushing to get ready for school. I changed into them quickly, wincing as the cool fabric irritated the stitches in my arm. I brushed my teeth quickly and splashed some water onto my face, drying it off and walking towards my room.

Francis was sitting on my bed, absently fiddling with one of the presents and looking miserable. I sighed, climbing onto the bed and pulling the present out of his hands, resting my head on his shoulder.

"I wonder what this is," I mused, holding it up to face level.

"Where did all this excitement come from?" Francis asked me, putting an arm around my waist and pulling me onto his lap. For the first time ever, I didn't protest.

"I'm curious now," I said with a shrug, reading the tag and noting that the present in my hands was from Elizaveta and Roderich.

"Let me open this," Francis said, pulling the present out of my hands and unwrapping it with a quick motion. I glared at him.

"Do you think I'll be able to survive opening the lid?" I asked and Francis ignored me. I took it from him and opened it, my jaw dropping.

"You don't like them," Francis guessed.

"Are these plane tickets?" I asked in shock, holding one of them up. "To _New York_?"

"Elizaveta and Roderich thought you might want to see your mother, visit her."

"There are two tickets in here…are you coming too?"

"Bien sûr."

"This is amazing," I breathed out, feeling giddy. "You'll have to stay inside all the time because I expect that it's much sunnier there and mum will probably want us to see California because she's always been infatuated with that state and-"

"You like the present?" Francis interrupted, looking surprised.

"Of course I do," I said, staring at the ticket with glee. I glanced at the other boxes and saw the one with his name on it. I reached for it. Francis grabbed it before I could and unwrapped it. I glared at him again.

He handed me a blank CD case, a silver CD inside. I frowned.

"What is this?" I asked. Francis pulled me closer.

"Some of my songs, since I know you would object to me buying you a piano and playing you them personally," Francis replied.

"I need to listen to these," I said, staring at the cover.

"Why not do it with your new stereo?" he teased and I chuckled.

"I should," I agreed, leaning into Francis comfortably. I closed my eyes in relaxation and relished in the peaceful atmosphere. "I think I deserve a kiss," I said suddenly, opening my eyes and looking up.

Francis looked amused. "Why?" he asked.

"Because it's my birthday, what better reason do I need?" I asked. Francis laughed.

"You never need a reason for a kiss," he murmured, leaning in and pressing his cold lips against mine. It was stronger than usual, Francis's lips parting slightly, his cold fingers weaving through my messy hair. I pressed against him, my head spinning and my heart racing. It was longer than most kisses too. But it ended quickly as Francis pulled off of me gently, sending me crashing onto my pillow, gasping. A part of me felt like the kiss reminded me of something, but I couldn't place what it was.

Francis smiled at me slightly, breathless as well. "We went too far, non?" he asked sheepishly.

"That's alright," I managed to say, still trying to catch my breath. He glanced at my digital clock nearby and frowned; it was almost midnight.

"You should sleep, Arthur," Francis told me, "before you tempt me some more."

"My blood or my body?" I asked. Francis chuckled.

"Both," he purred, leaning down and kissing my lips lightly, pulling away before I could deepen it. "I have to go talk to Feliciano about something, but I'll be back soon," he said, sitting up straight. "You better be asleep by then."

"I'll try," I promised, feeling drowsy already. As I closed my eyes Francis leapt out of my window into the darkness and I was slowly going into unconsciousness. My last thought was a realization, that the kiss did indeed remind me of something. It reminded me of the kiss Francis and I shared right when he was about to go hunt Yao down. It had been our final kiss at the time.

A kiss goodbye.

* * *

**A/N: Gah, sorry guys! I haven't forgotten this story - I've just been insanely busy with school and other stories xD Oddly enough, the story that's been keeping me busy is a Twilight parody about my friend and her boyfriend - my friend as Edward and her boyfriend as Bella xD I've been writing that non-stop along with doing all my homework, so I haven't had as much time to write this. **

**Review and perhaps it'll motivate me to write faster for a new chapter~!**


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter Three:

I was in absolute pain when I woke up the next morning; evidently the pain of ripping my arm open finally appeared. It didn't help anything for me to wake up and not see Francis there, or the fact that our last kiss had seemed like a farewell.

Needless to say, when I arrived at school I was in a bad mood.

Francis was waiting for me at our usual meeting spot as he normally was, but there was no teasing smirk or smile on his face that I could see. His eyes were troubled and I knew he was still moping over what had happened the day before.

The rest of our day was in silence, Francis seemingly ignoring me. I tried to bring up conversations, ask him pointless, unnecessary things and he would reply to me in a one or two word sentence and go back to ignoring my existence. I spent those hours wondering if Feliciano knew the cause behind Francis's aloof behaviour and if Feliciano had seen anything that could warn me of what Francis might be intending to do.

At lunch, I had walked in before Francis, hoping to see if I could find Feliciano at all. I frowned when I couldn't. Where was he? Where had he gone? I drummed my fingers absently on the table as Francis stared off into space, still ignoring me.

"Do you know where Feliciano is?" I asked him finally, a half hour into lunch.

Francis blinked and glanced at me very quickly before looking away. "With Ludwig," he replied and left it at that.

"Is he alright?" I asked, wanting to know more.

"He left for a while." The longest answer I had received the entire damn day.

"Where?" I asked.

"Greece." I supposed Ludwig and Feliciano had left for Greece to live with the coven that lived there. Elise, Heracles…and some other vampires whose names I didn't know. I remembered that Li, the third member in Yao's coven, was living there but I didn't care to wonder how he was faring.

The rest of the day flew by and I found myself walking into the grocery store to start my job afterschool, Francis nowhere to be seen. The moment I was alone [well not really alone, as Taylor was there too, trying to start a conversation with me], panic started to sink in. What if Francis had gotten bored of me? What if Francis thought he was too dangerous for me and decided that we shouldn't be together? I didn't know what I'd do without Francis. I loved him, yes, but he was also my closest friend – along with Feliciano. If we broke up, I wouldn't be able to see either of them and probably would go back to the semi-hermit state I had been before he had sauntered into my life. I now loathed that semi-hermit life.

By the end of my shift my stomach was churning nervously and my hands were sweating. My mother always did say that I knew how to worry myself into a panic attack, and I could feel one coming if I didn't talk to Francis and clear things up.

Unfortunately, no such opportunity came. When I got home I found Francis and my father intently watching a cricket match. I knew Francis was faking it – he was more of a football type of bloke – but he seemed reluctant to leave the game at an 'exciting' part. I knew he knew we couldn't have an important discussion in front of Albert and I hated that. To amuse myself, I took pictures of them watching the game and made snide comments to annoy my father. When watching the cricket match got too tiresome for me, I retreated to my room alone and looked through the pictures on the camera, planning on taking my camera to school and asking Peter to take some more of our friends so I could show my mother how I was doing in St. Helens.

I connected the camera to my laptop and printed the first few pictures I took, rolling my eyes when I saw the ones of my glaring into the camera, my face as red as a tomato. I pulled out a pen and wrote a little description in the back of them in case Victoria ever wanted to see them and wanted to know when the picture was taken and why I was making such awful faces. It was when I was shutting my laptop down for the night when I realized that Francis was driving away from the house without so even as much as a goodbye. I swallowed thickly and turned my laptop back on, telling myself that I had work to do and that Francis not staying over was a good thing because at least now I could concentrate on my homework.

The next day was no different. Francis trailed along beside me, never saying a word. I forced myself to concentrate in my classes and was horrified that even English couldn't draw my interest.

Lunch was the only amount of fun I had…somewhat. Peter seemed delighted in taking pictures, and took as many as he could, laughing gleefully as he shot candid pictures of all our friends. I chuckled along with him, my eyes always darting to back to Francis, whose face was always neutral, eyes staring off into space. Feliciano was not here again.

I went to work afterschool and spent more time worrying about why Francis was suddenly ignoring me. The feeling that he was going to break up with me was getting stronger and stronger as time passed and it was freaking me out.

The next few days passed like this too; this monotonous, horrifyingly worrying routine that left me tossing in turning in bed every night and terrified every morning. Before I realized it, almost a week had passed since my birthday and Francis still hadn't spoke more than a sentence a day to me.

I decided on Friday that I couldn't take it anymore and that if Francis was willing to discuss this with me, I would just have to take desperate measures and drag Roderich into it. Francis would listen to Roderich. Francis would tell Roderich what was wrong.

"Can we take a walk when we get to your house?" Francis asked me as I approached him, beating me before I could ask my question. I nodded sullenly, feeling dread. This was it.

The moment my truck pulled into the driveway and I turned off the ignition, Francis got out of the car. He waited for me outside as I put my bag away inside. I paused, considered writing a note to Albert to let him know where I was and decided against it. Nothing was going to go wrong anyways.

When I got outside Francis turned around and started walking, motioning me to follow. I had to jog to keep up with his fast gait. I couldn't look at his face; his eyes were dead and his expression did nothing to calm my anxiety down.

We barely made it into the forest near my house when Francis stopped walking, staring at me seriously. I could still see the house from where I was standing. Any other moment I would've rolled my eyes and asked him what kind of walk this was, but I couldn't this time – I was too terrified.

"We need to talk," Francis said finally, looking me dead in the eye. I gulped. The four words no boyfriend ever wants to hear.

"We do," I agreed, trying to keep my voice calm.

"I'm leaving," Francis said finally.

There was silence.

"Leaving? Where?" I asked. "Are we coming with you?"

"My family is coming with me," Francis replied, an edge appearing in his voice.

"What about me?" I asked.

"What about you?" Francis asked.

"Am I coming with you?" I asked.

"Why would you be coming with me?" Francis asked coldly, and it felt like someone had punched me in the stomach. Hard.

"B-because I'm your boyfriend," I said.

"I'm not good enough for you," he said. "Nor are you for me." Another punch to the stomach.

"Is this about what happened with Ludwig? Because Francis I swear, that was nothing! That would never happen again! That was just some stupid chance happening!" I said, desperation leaking into my voice. No, no…this couldn't be happening. "We can work this out!"

"We can't. I realize now that dating you was an entire mistake. I thought I loved you enough to be able to resist, but I realize now that I can't," Francis said coldly.

"W-what?" I whispered, feeling my heart sink.

"I don't love you," Francis told me.

"Y-you don't love me?" I whispered, feeling my heart break. And then, the moment pain engulfed my body, anger took over, numbing it temporarily. "THEN WHY THE HELL DID YOU START DATING ME?" I screamed, feeling tears of anger spring to my eyes.

"I thought I liked you enough," Francis said. "You were just a plaything…nothing more. I'm slightly disappointed we never had sex. At least then this relationship would've been futile."

"HOW DARE YOU? HOW DARE YOU TELL ME THAT YOU DON'T LOVE ME," I screamed, lunging at him, wanting to rip his stupid golden hair out, scratch his clear blue eyes until he turned blind, hurt, hurt, _hurt_ him the way he was hurting me right now.

"Let go of me, Arthur," Francis snapped, pushing me off of him with ease. I stumbled backwards and hit a tree, temporarily winded. "Stop acting like a child. I don't love you and never will." He swallowed, and for a brief second I thought I saw something that looked like anguish appear in his eyes. "Goodbye." He turned away from me and began to walk away.

"STOP," I screamed, angry. How dare he leave me just like that? What kind of asshole dumps his boyfriend with an 'I never loved you?' I was seeing red.

Francis froze, turning around to look at me. "Arthur, don't make this difficult," he said calmly, his voice as cold as ever. "Look on the bright side. You're human, you'll find someone who can look past your hideous eyebrows and irritatingly quick temper and terrible cooking who can love you for you are. It'll be like I never existed in your life. Take care Arthur and stay safe. Your father seems like a good man and he doesn't deserve to feel any pain over you so don't do anything reckless."

"As if I'd do anything reckless because of you!" I screamed, hating him with ever fiber of my being. I

"Goodbye Arthur," Francis said and turned away again, walking away faster and deeper into the forest.

"GET BACK HERE!" I screamed, chasing after him. "I'M NOT DONE YELLING AT YOU!"

Francis's walk turned into the run and before I knew it, I was chasing a blur. I ran as fast as I could, tears pouring down my face freely, yelling out as many insults as I could. I ended up tripping on something I couldn't see and crashed to the ground. I looked up and couldn't see Francis anymore. I let out a choked sob and finally succumbed to my pain, hating Francis more than I ever have in my life and loving him more than I ever should've.

I suppose time had gone by faster than I supposed, because when the tears finally dried up, it was dark. Darker than it usually was. Looking up, I saw little dots of stars but nothing else. Where did the moon go? I pulled myself into a sitting position, looking around numbly. Where was I?

I could distantly hear voices yelling something, but I wasn't sure what it was. I didn't really care; I didn't really care about anything at that point.

There was a sudden bright light, and my eyes watered as it hit me straight in the face. The light lowered down to my torso, and I realized that it was light from a flashlight.

"Art'r K'rkl'nd?" a voice asked, his voice deep and oddly familiar.

I stared at the figure standing in the shadows blankly, still feeling too numb to reply.

"Yer fath'r's l'king fer ya," he said gently and paused before asking his next question. "Have ya been hurt?" he asked.

It depended on where he was talking about. Physically I was fine but on the inside I was broken, a mixture of sadness and anger swirling around inside of me. I didn't reply and didn't protest as I was lifted into the air and carried away from my little patch of grass on the forest floor.

"Got 'im!" he yelled out, presumably to a group of other people. I ignored the questions shot at us as I was carried into a house – probably my own.

"God, what's happened to him?" a voice asked and I realized that it was Albert.

"Dad?" I asked, opening eyes that I hadn't known had been closed.

"Artie I'm right here. What happened?" he asked me. I couldn't answer. He exchanged a look with the man who was carrying me and sighed. "Thank you, Berwald," he said and helped me out of Berwald's arms. Leading me to the couch and letting me rest there. My body welcomed the comfort but inside it didn't nothing to soothe me.

"Are you hurt?" a third voice asked, and I realized it was a doctor, whose name I couldn't quite recall. His question seemed different from Berwald's, like Berwald's had been significant in some sort of way, but I wasn't quite sure what.

"No," I finally gasped out, closing my eyes. "I just got lost," I lied quickly.

"I don't think there's anything wrong with him. He just needs some rest," the doctor told Albert. "I'll check on him later."

"Is it true that they all left?" Albert whispered to the doctor and my ears perked up, knowing instantly who he was talking about.

"Doctor Paye told us all not to say anything but he got a better offer for a job in some big fancy hospital," the doctor replied. I heard them walk away.

I fell asleep and woke up regularly, hearing Albert thank everyone who had come out to help looking for me and realized that he had enlisted a lot of people to search for me.

The phone rang lots of times throughout the evening, Albert quickly answering it before it could awaken me, reassuring the caller that I was now safe and sound.

The phone for the umpteenth time as Albert had been fixing me with another blanket. As Albert went to answer it, I opened my eyes, staring up at the ceiling with odd fascination.

"Yes he's fine now…what? Really? I'll have to check that out but, thanks for calling," Albert said, hanging up quickly. He picked the receiver up again and called another number. "Hello George, its Albert. I just received reports of smoke coming from your area and just wanted to…they are?" he sounded irritated now. "Well, they better not cause a bigger fire, you should warn them…yes, thank you. Goodnight." He hung up with a scowl, muttering something under his breath.

"Is something on fire?" I asked and Albert glanced at me, looking concerned.

"Did I wake you up?" he asked and I shook my head.

"I already was awake," I told him. "What's on fire?" I asked.

"It seems that the Riverside boys are having a bonfire tonight," Albert said, disapproval and annoyance leaking into his voice.

It took me a while to figure out why. My eyes widened, remembering the reputation the Paye family had in Riverside. "They're celebrating," I realized and Albert nodded, looking at me anxiously. Surprisingly, I wasn't as depressed as I thought I was; angrier than anything else.

We fell into a silence as we thought about this fact, both of us irritated and angry – but for different reasons.

"Arthur," Albert said hesitantly after a few minutes. "Did Francis leave you alone in the woods?" he asked.

I ignored his question. "How did you know where to find me?" I asked.

"You left a note, remember?" Albert reached into his jeans pocket and pulled out a piece of paper with my handwriting on it.

_Just going with a walk in the woods with Francis. I'll be back in time for dinner_

_-Arthur_

"Where did you find this?" I asked, trying to keep my voice casual.

"In your room, where you left it," he said and I realized who had written and it. In a flash of panic, I sat up straight, dashing to my room [and terrifying my father in the process].

My room looked the same as it normally did. I looked around, spotting the mini CD rack I had and ran to it, dropping to my knees and hoping I could spot the blank CD case with the silver CD inside.

There was nothing.

_It'll be like I never existed in your life_.

No.

No no no no no.

Please, no.

I ran to my laptop, turning it on and looking around my desk for my pictures. I spotted the pile of them and grabbed them, flicking through each ones.

The only ones there were the ones of me and the ones Peter had taken that lunch period a million years ago.

When my laptop finally turned on I searched my pictures folder to see if there was anything in there of…him.

There was nothing.

_It'll be like I never existed in your life._

I numbly closed the laptop's lid, my head spinning. I somehow managed to stumble to my bed and fell into it, letting the warmth of the sheets envelope me. I was blind with rage that he had gone through my private things and eliminated every trace of him, but horrified that he was…that he was…I couldn't even think the words to myself.

That he was gone.

_It'll be like I never existed in your life._

I let grief finally wash over me, pulling me in deeper and deeper.

I didn't resurface.

_It'll be like I never existed in your life._


	5. Chapter 4

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Chapter Four:

I knew I was being unreasonable, like a stupid hopeless heroine in a cheesy romance novel that somehow managed to earn millions and a cult-like following of prepubescent teenage girls that lusted for the main character, but I couldn't stop myself. I had never felt this way before. I wanted to punch something constantly; I was mad all the time…I was always close to tears.

But then, time passed. And as they say, time heals all wounds.

My wounds never healed completely, but they dulled.

And eventually, I began to feel human again.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter Five:

"That's it!" Albert exclaimed suddenly at breakfast. I stared at him, my spoon full of cereal hovering at my lips. "I'm sending you to America."

"America?" I questioned, feeling angry. "Why? I don't want to go to America!"

"Well it's better than seeing you lash out at everyone in public and wandering around lifelessly at home!" Albert retorted and I blinked at him. I had actually been trying very hard to act like the…_event_ hadn't affected me at all. Evidently I was failing. Hard. "It's like you're a zombie!" he added.

"I've been trying," I protested.

"Arthur, you know you aren't alone with this," Albert said. "Your mother left me with you sixteen years ago. I was just like you – I lashed out at everyone who cared and was like a lifeless zombie. But I got better…and you need to too."

"I _am_ getting better," I said, and it was true. Just the other day I had managed to say hello to Peter without yelling at him for no reason except for the fact that his eyes are the same blue as…_his_. "Do you want me to call Peter or Kiku?"

"It's too late now; you've distanced yourself with all of your friends. Do you even _know_ how they're doing?" Albert asked. I bit my lip. Were Kiku and Ben still dating? Were Peter and Michelle still going through that rough patch in their relationship? I couldn't remember. My father had a point. I sighed.

"I'll talk to them today," I promised. "I'll stop distancing myself. Maybe I'll suggest going to the movies with them. Happy?" I asked.

"For now," Albert said, deflating. He couldn't stay mad at me for long; I had inherited my temper from my mother's side of the family. I didn't bother hanging around. I put my empty cereal bowl in the sink and raced outside to get to class early.

I managed to snag myself a decent parking spot since I managed to get there so early. I smiled to myself slightly, pleased, as I walked into the school.

"Arthur?" a voice asked from behind. I turned around to see Taylor staring at me. "Um…are you working your shift at the grocery store tomorrow?" he asked. Taylor worked alongside me at the local grocery store, though I hadn't talked to him in ages. I wondered what had stopped Taylor from harassing me like he normally did.

"Of course I am," I snapped. I blinked in surprise. Was I always this harsh? I decided to try again. "I mean, my shift is on Saturday, is it not? I'll be there," I said. Taylor nodded.

"Cool," he said, and walked away. I watched him go. Not too long ago, Taylor would've tried starting a conversation and I would've shooed him away. I really _had_ distanced myself, if the most annoying person on earth didn't even want to talk to me anymore.

I walked to my math class and sat down, glancing at Michelle who was nearby. Michelle never talked to me anymore, ever since I had started dating _him_. A part of me wanted to try talking to her, but I didn't feel like dealing with the whole crush thing. I knew she still liked me, if her constant glances meant anything.

I trudged to my second period class, my stomach churning nervously. I sat next to Peter in English, and remembering my promise to my father, I had to talk to him.

"Hullo Peter," I greeted as I sat down. Peter looked up from the Transformers robot he had been doodling absently and stared at me incredulously.

"Are you actually talking to me?" he asked me.

"Yes, of course I am. How are you?" I asked.

"Why do _you_ care?" Peter asked, and I realized that I had offended Peter much more than I thought with my antisocialism.

"Because we're friends," I said, smiling wanly. "I apologize for never talking to you so much these past few months…they've been hard," I admitted. If I really wanted to get Peter back as a friend, I had to allow myself to admit that fact.

"Yeah I guess so. He was pretty hot," Peter said, and I wondered again if he and Michelle were going through that rough patch.

"I don't want to seem like an idiot but…are you and Michelle still dating?" I asked. Peter grimaced.

"No," he admitted. "She said something like she wanted to try dating other guys," he said. I made a noise of sympathy. So I wasn't the only one going through a breakup.

"You two seemed like a good couple," I offered.

"That's what I thought too!" Peter exclaimed and he began to go into a rant about all of Michelle's bad points and how regardless the two of them were perfect for each other. I nodded absently, humming and agreeing whenever I was supposed to. It was ridiculously easy talking to Peter again; nothing about him had changed at all. I listened with one ear, listening to the lesson with the other. Before I knew it the period had ended and Peter had finally stopped talking.

"Hey, I was wondering," I said as we stood up to go to our next class. "Do you think you'd be willing to come see a movie with me? I could ask Kiku and the three of us could go," I asked.

"I _have_ been wanting to see that new zombie movie that came out," Peter said uncertainly. Zombie movie?

"So have I," I said quickly and Peter stared at me.

The teacher stood up and began the lesson, ending the conversation. We didn't speak until afterwards at lunch, where I asked Kiku if he could accompany us to the movies. Kiku politely rejected my offer; he and Ben had been planning on celebrate their seven month anniversary by eating at a nice restaurant. It surprised me that they had been together for so long. I _really_ had isolated myself from my friends.

The rest of the day flew by and before I knew it, I was driving home for a quick shower before meeting up with Peter at the movie theater. I chose some old clothes that I rarely ever wore and walked back to my truck, trying not to think of the large garbage bag that was at the back of my closet that contained the stereo that had been attached to my car prior to…_him_ leaving.

Peter was already at the concession stand when I arrived, launching into a rant about how he saw Michelle with some pixie boy sneak into a movie theatre to watch a cheesy romcom. I listened to him rant and bought a small tub of popcorn for myself. Peter managed to stop ranting long enough to buy himself a tub as well. We walked towards the theatre where the movie was playing and showed our tickets to the bored looking teenager manning it. I found myself starting to relax ever so slightly as we sunk into our seats, the lights already dimming and the trailers to upcoming movies already playing. I munched on my popcorn absently and completely tuned out Peter's voice, musing to myself that my father would be proud that I was reaching out to my friends again.

When the first scene finally appeared, I was pleased to see that already there were people being gorged apart and eaten.

"Maman? Je ne trouve pas maman!" a little girl cried out. I froze. French?

"Why is she speaking in French?" I hissed urgently, as a blonde man with long hair who looked so scarily much like _him_ appeared on screen, soothing the little girl as the zombies threatened to break down the door.

"I dunno – I guess it's because the entire world is invested with zombies," Peter said with a shrug.

"I have to pee," I hissed, standing up.

"Did you really have to tell me that?" Peter whispered to my retreating back as I manoeuvred my way out of the row and out of the theatre. I took a deep breath in, trying to calm the stifling grief I felt when an image of _him_ came up in my mind. I waited 5 minutes before walking in, feeling confident that by then the zombies must've gotten to them and ripped them into pieces. The thought of _him_ getting ripped apart into little pieces and devoured made me smile ever so slightly.

The rest of the movie went by quickly. I was surprisingly unaffected by all the gore, rolling my eyes as Peter cowered at my shoulder, flinching every time someone screamed. Cinematically, the movie was terrible – high budget, pretty cast…but terrible acting – obviously it was American. But oddly enough, it helped take away all the numbing pain I had been feeling the past few months. All I had to do was picture _him_ as the vulnerable victim and I felt slightly better.

The hero attempted to attack the army of zombies reaching out towards him. I rolled my eyes. Judging from the dramatic death music playing in the background and the constant flashbacks to his beautiful but slightly dull and dim lover, I could tell that the movie was coming to an end. Peter didn't even seem to be watching anymore, focusing more on the ground than the movie screen.

"I'll never let you kill me!" the man yelled, raising his fist to punch a zombie's head off.

There was a close up shot of the zombie [I could hear Peter gag at the rotting flesh hanging off its skin]. His hair was a dirty blonde like mine, messy and covered in blood and dirt. His eyes were green.

_It's like you're a zombie!_

My jaw dropped. I stared into the eyes of the undead creature on the screen and wondered if that was how everyone saw me. Lifeless and emotionless. As the hero lopped off its arm, it let out a noise of outrage; it even had the same temper that I did.

I barely noticed the rolling credits appear on the screen and the lights turn back on – I was too absorbed in my new revelation.

"Arthur?" Peter asked, standing up, staring at me. I blinked and stood up as well, following him out of the theatre.

"That was a good movie," I remarked drily, smirking at how pale Peter was.

"Y-yeah," Peter replied. "Totally cool. I liked when that zombie dude ripped off that chick's head and then threw her body at her boyfriend – that was funny," he added with a laugh and I vaguely remembered that part…and vaguely remembered thinking that the unfortunate woman had looked oddly like Michelle.

"Yeah," I repeated as we exited the movie theatre and walked down the darkened sidewalk to where our cars were, the image of the final zombie with the green eyes so much like mine still in my head.

"Oh crap," Peter said suddenly, staring straight ahead of us. I stared at Peter, and then to the direction he was looking at.

A group of menacing men were standing nearby to our cars, smoking casually and laughing loudly, their words slurring together; they were drunk.

"Hide your wallet," Peter hissed at me, quickly putting his in the secret inside pocket of his jacket. I didn't listen to him, staring at one of the men's faces, trying to remember if this had been one of the men who had attempted to mug me so long ago. We were in the same area where I had been when those men had followed me, hoping to take my jacket and my wallet…

I took a step towards them. Peter stared at me.

"Arthur what are you doing?" he whispered in panic as I began to walk towards them. None of the men seemed to notice me yet. "Arthur!" he exclaimed, looking nervous. I ignored him.

My body seemed to be trying to fight back the commands my brain was giving them; my legs were tensed as though I should be running away from the men, the hairs on the back of my neck rising on end.

_Arthur, stop what you're doing this instant!_ a voice cried out…though it wasn't Peter's. I froze, my eyes widening. I knew that voice from anywhere.

But where was he? I looked around in panic, expecting him to be glaring at me from a random street corner. But he was nowhere to be seen.

_I told you to take care of yourself._

Was I going insane?

"Arthur!" Peter called out again, and I turned around to face him. He looked furious…and insanely terrified.

I walked back to him, noting with surprise that despite hearing _his_ voice, I didn't feel any pain or anger or grief. I had felt nothing at all.

"Are you _insane_? You could've gotten us mugged!" Peter hissed at me angrily as I approached.

"Sorry, I thought I knew one of them," I answered.

"Why would _you_ know one of those drunk _thugs_?" Peter asked.

"He seemed familiar," I murmured. We walked past them, neither or us saying a word. The moment Peter reached his car he got in and drove away, not saying goodbye. I didn't really mind; it's not like I had been good company. I felt a little bad for him. I drove home in silence, my brain in deep thought. I felt as though the grief over hearing _his_ voice again after so long would be kicking in soon, but it hadn't just as yet. It made me worried, like the pain would hit me by surprise when I least expected it.

Albert had fallen asleep in his armchair when I finally got home – he must've fallen asleep waiting for me. I made my way upstairs and got ready for bed.

It was when I had finally closed my eyes and laid down on my bed that it finally hit me like a speeding truck. I gasped as my heart ached, rolling onto my side and curling up, closing my eyes and waiting for it to end. I hated how much he made me heart on the inside, I hated how he could've thrown me away just like that.

But I missed him so much.

I missed his teases, I missed his blue eyes, I missed the way he said my name.

A single tear fell onto my pillow.

The pain eventually faded away and just like that I dripped off into sleep.

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**A/N: I was expecting more rage comments for that last chapter *laughs* Ah man, I love y'all so much. I'm going to try writing more but I was distracted by the XMAS BLOODBATH that Hima-san's doing. I've been over on LiveJournal, spazzing with everyone on the Hetalia community xD **

**Review?**


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter Six:

I exchanged a look with Taylor from the check-out counter I was standing at. He made a face at me, and I smirked. It had taken me a few days to get Taylor to talk to me again, and I was mildly surprised yet very pleased that Taylor hadn't immediately started to hit on me like he normally would. This new kind of friendship was more preferred.

"I'm tellin' ya!" the scruffy looking man was shouting, his hands moving to help make his point. "There are giant wolf-bear things in the forest!"

"Could you hurry up please? Some people are trying to get home in time for dinner," another man said irritably.

"Besides, there are no 'giant wolf-bear things' in the forest. Sure, at Bear Woods it's rumoured to have bears there, but everyone knows that's not true. There aren't any bears _or_ wolves in this area," a cashier whose name I did not know added.

"Hey Arthur," Taylor said, joining me at my side. I flinched; I hadn't seen him coming. "D'you wanna just go now? I'll take over from here," he suggested. "It's not like my parents will mind much." His parents were the ones who owned the grocery store.

"It's alright," I murmured, quickly scanning another customer's things and bagging the items for them. I took their money with a weak smile and watched them walk away. The truth was, I didn't want to go home, where I would be alone and left to my own thoughts. It was why I preferred going to work – the mindless activity and Taylor distracted me from thinking about _him_.

"No seriously – I got this," Taylor said as another customer approached the counter. "You look like you didn't get much sleep man, better go sleep before you crash in class tomorrow," he suggested as he took the items from the customer with a friendly smile. I hadn't gotten much sleep the night before, actually – ever since I had gone to the movies with Peter, I had been experiencing these weird nightmares that always ended up with me yelling in terror, my entire body covered in sweat.

"Fine," I said, giving up. I turned to walk out of the grocery store, pulling the hood of my sweater up to battle the soft rain that was pouring down. I decided to just drive around mindlessly until it was time for Albert to come home. With Albert at home, I could keep myself distracted by attempting to help him cook and even go as far as watch whatever cricket match was on with him.

It had been almost a week since Peter and I had gone to the movies…and almost a week since I had heard Francis's voice clear as day in my mind, trying to make me stop walking towards those shady looking men. I could conjure the words up, but I couldn't hear the voice again. It still hurt that I couldn't.

I sighed, staring through the windshield with a frown on my face. The wipers weren't moving fast enough so I could barely see out of it – the rain had started to fall faster. They always had a tendency to do that; they'd start off really slow and then as though they were given a sudden burst of energy, they started moving faster. I pulled off to the side of the road to wait for that to happen, it was too dangerous to drive before that happened.

I leaned back against my chair and rolled my eyes as the wipers started moving faster a few minutes later, finally getting that energy burst.

And that's when I saw it.

It was like a godsend.

I was parked nearby the house of a classmate of mine…Sarah…Turner. It took me a few minutes to remember her name. There were two motorcycles, rusted and falling apart.

My father hated motorcycles. He thought that people who drove them were reckless and stupid.

_He_ had told me not to be reckless and stupid. The last time I had been – when I tried to approach those men near the movie theatre, I had heard _his_ voice.

My father had told me he never wanted me to be seen on a motorcycle. I told him I wouldn't. _He_ had told me not to be reckless. I told him I wouldn't.

I suddenly wanted to break both promises.

I stepped out of the car, just as Sarah was coming out of the house with her dog. Our eyes met and she looked confused.

"Arthur?" she asked, walking over to me.

"Hullo," I said, trying to form my question. "Er…I know this might sound odd but…how much for the motorcycles?" I asked, pointing to the ruined by rain sign next to the motorcycles.

"You're right – that _is_ odd. I didn't know you rode motorcycles," Sarah asked skeptically, and I remembered my father chastising her and her brother for driving them over the speed limit last year. It was obvious that she was surprised that the police chief's son did anything that he condoned.

I shrugged. "How much are they?" I asked, not answering her.

Sarah frowned. "Well…before the rain screwed it up the sign also said that they were for free," she informed me.

"That's perfect – can I take them right now?" I asked. I could put them in my truck.

"They're falling apart, you know," she told me. I shrugged. "Unless you know a mechanic I doubt they'll be of any use."

There, I hit a snag. I didn't have much money to afford a mechanic that could fix these motorcycles and I didn't want to risk my father finding out. How much _were_ mechanics, anyways? I surprisingly never needed to use one, despite the fact that my truck was ancient. I suppose that Alfred had been really good at taking care of it – back when the truck belonged to his father…

"I know someone who can fix these," I said, grinning.

"Alright – lemme call my brother to help you get these into your truck," Sarah said. I waited patiently as she went back into her house, coming back with a taller boy who had the same brown hair that she did. He helped me carry the motorcycles into my truck, answering with a grunt when I thanked him.

As I drove away, I pulled out my cell phone [a present from father from months ago, hoping that with a cell phone I could keep in contact with my friends and wouldn't retreat into my shell as usual].

"Hello?" my father's voice asked.

"How do I get to the Joneses house?" I asked him.

"You're going to see Alfred and George?" he asked, sounding surprised.

"Hopefully, if I can find their house," I replied.

"Do you have a pen with you?" he asked, and when I found one in the glove compartment, he proceeded to tell me how to get there. I wrote the directions down on my hand and thanked him profusely. My father sounded pleased that I was making an effort to talk to my old friends. He had wanted to meet up with me there and have dinner with Al and his father, but I quickly convinced him not to – I didn't want my father finding out about the motorcycles. He agreed, but told me to come home before it got dark. That meant I had approximately 2 hours to get Alfred to agree to my plan and get it into action.

I sped down the roadway so I could reach Riverside quickly. I prayed that I would find Alfred alone and not with George. George would tell my father if he found out, plus I didn't want to see his gloating face. I knew George was pleased that _he_ and _his_ family were gone and the fact that I was visiting them would make him smug.

As I pulled up onto the Jones driveway, I noticed that Alfred had been standing on the porch, eating a hamburger. Our eyes met and his blue eyes brightened with excitement.

He ran down the driveway to meet me at my truck.

"Arthur!" he said, beaming widely. I smiled at him slightly and got out of my truck. My jaw dropped. The last time I had seen him, he had been taller than me – but not by too much. Now, I was probably around shoulder-level with him.

"You've grown!" I said, looking surprised.

"Yup!" Alfred said eagerly, taking another bite of his hamburger. "What are you doing here?" he asked, his voice a lot deeper than from the last time I met him.

"Just wanted to see you again – it's almost been a year since I last saw you," I replied innocently.

"Yeah, it has! What do you wanna do?" he asked eagerly, and I couldn't help but smile; his enthusiasm was contagious. "Oh! Do you wanna see the car I'm working on right now? It's in the garage!" he asked quickly.

"That's perfect," I said with a grin, and I let Alfred lead me to the garage off the side to his house. It wasn't attached to the house like the one we had back home, but rather a separate building a few steps away from the actual house. Alfred pulled open the door and motioned me inside, turning on a light. Car parts were scattered around here and there as he brandished towards a car that looked like it was half-finished.

"Do you like it?" Alfred asked me eagerly.

"It's impressive," I said with a nod. Alfred was smiling so widely I was sure his face was going to break if he smiled any further. "So…Al, what do you know about motorcycles?" I asked him.

Alfred shrugged. "My friend Gilbert had one before his half-brother Erik sold it because…well, Gilbert had a tendency to drive around Erik and laugh at him before driving off so I guess Erik got annoyed. When Gil and I asked him what happened to the motorcycle, he said something at us in Norweigan and walked away, so I'm pretty sure he sold it," Alfred said with a sheepish laugh. "Why?"

"Uh…I recently got these two motorcycles that are in pretty poor condition and I was wondering if you could fix them?" I asked.

"Seriously?" Alfred seemed really excited. "Of course I will! I've always wanted to work on a motorcycle! When will you bring them in?" he asked eagerly.

"Actually, they're in my truck right now," I admitted. Alfred laughed. "But there's one condition," I said quickly. "My dad's pretty against motorcycles so I don't want him finding out, so you can't tell your dad," I told him.

"Sure, no biggie," Alfred said easily.

"Wait; are you even old enough to drive?" I asked suddenly, trying to remember how old Alfred was.

"Turned sixteen over the summer – you missed it," he said with a pout, his eyes shining with mirth. I rolled my eyes.

"Well I guess we'll have to make up for that," I said.

"And how old are you? Seventy?" he teased and I scowled at him, rolling my eyes as he laughed at his own joke.

We tried to keep ourselves inconspicuous as we wheeled the cars into the garage. I was amused at how amused this made Alfred; he was humming the mission impossible theme song under his breath and doing unnecessary stunts like running into a summersault and holding his hands up like guns.

Alfred whistled when we finally finished moving the motorcycles [which didn't take that much time at all; Alfred was a lot stronger than he looked. Faster too] into the garage. "These aren't too bad, you know," he informed me.

"So you can fix them?" I asked and he nodded. "I can pay you too," I added. Alfred looked horrified.

"You don't needa do that! I _want_ to fix these!" he protested and I knew I came to the right person for help.

"Well, how about we trade then? I actually don't know how to ride motorcycles so maybe after you fix them you can keep one and teach me how?" I suggested.

Alfred looked ecstatic. "I can keep one?" he asked eagerly and I nodded. "Awesome! But…" he said suddenly, frowning slightly, "these are going to be expensive to fix."

"No problem," I said quickly. "I can just use some of my university money to pay for these," I told him with a grin. It's not like I really wanted to go out of the city anymore for my education.

Alfred nodded, already starting to take them apart. He seemed to think that this made complete sense.

As I watched Alfred start to work, I marvelled at my extreme luck. I had managed to find an immature teenage boy who would willingly help a friend deceive both their parents while fixing dangerous vehicles that were going to be used for reckless purposes – all being financed by money supposedly meant for a university education. I smirked.

Alfred was an abnormally tall, hyperactive, immature gift from God.

* * *

**A/N: Happy New Year, y'all! Unfortunately, I'm starting the year off insanely sick and since I was in a self-pitying phase, I decided to give you guys an update because I feel bad that I write so slow xD **

**In other news, holy shit gaiz - 100+ reviews already? This is only the sixth chapter! You have no idea how amazed I am and how pleased. I love you guys all so much, I'd hug you if I could ^^**

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	8. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven:

I sat on a mismatch wooden stool as Alfred chattered on about his life – updating me on everything that had happened in the time period from our last encounter to this moment. I let the words wash over me, grinning in spite of myself. Alfred didn't need anything to keep him going – he just kept talking and talking and talking, fiddling with the parts on the motorcycles and moving things around. For the first few minutes, I had kept a watchful eye on the door – terrified that George might come into the garage and see the motorcycles. It was only after Alfred remarked that he rarely had company in there because his father's wheelchair couldn't handle the rough terrain around the garage that I felt calm and could let myself relax.

"And then Gilbert and Mathias were talking about how Lars always smokes pot outside and Ari was all 'Guys isn't that kinda weird?' and _they_ were all 'Gosh Ari – stop being a goddamn-"

"Are Gilbert, Mathias and Ari your friends?" I interjected suddenly, feeling confused. I had ignored a good chunk of Alfred's running dialogue that I didn't know Alfred was now talking about.

Alfred blinked at me. "Uh…yeah? They're only my best friends ever! Mathias is my cousin and I think Gilbert and his brother Erik are related to me as well but I'm not really sure. Ari's the same age as me – the other two are older. We've known each other since we were in diapers or something. When I went to boarding school in America I kept in touch with them and when I came back it was like I never left!" Alfred informed me.

"Yo Al! You in there?" a voice called out. A terribly familiar voice. I blinked.

Alfred blinked too, bursting into laughter. "That's so weird! I just finish telling you about them and here they are!" he exclaimed, running to garage door and opening it, letting three boys all around his height enter.

The first one – the one who had shouted from outside, I presumed – was the tallest of the four with crazy blonde hair that might've given an inch or two to his height. He looked around the garage curiously with his blue eyes before noticing me, cocking his head to the side comically and looking confused.

The second boy, a quieter looking one than Alfred and Mathias entered next, his almost violet eyes spotting me instantly, glancing at Alfred quickly before staring at me again. He frowned ever so slightly.

The third one – and here I felt my heart sink a little, remembering things that I really did not want to remember – entered the room loudly, hanging off of Alfred's shoulder and laughing boisterously. He glanced at his other two friends [who were still staring at me] and looked in the same direction. His red eyes glimmered as they met with mine and he smirked.

"Arthur?" Gilbert asked in surprise, his voice just as obnoxiously annoying as it had been when we were four.

"Hullo Gilbert," I said, standing up to shake his hand like the civilized man that I am. Gilbert stared at my hand and pulled me into a rough hug, messing up my hair more than was really needed.

"Man, I haven't seen you since forever!" Gilbert exclaimed, letting go to take a better look at me. "Dude, you look like a pansy," he remarked, noticing my sweater vest. I blushed.

"Speak for yourself," I scoffed. While Gilbert still looked rather tough and intimidating, I noticed that his look was not as severe as it used to be while growing up.

"You guys know each other already?" Alfred asked, a slight edge to his voice. I wondered why. I noticed that Gilbert and I were still in a partial embrace and moved away, my face turning even redder as Gilbert laughed at me.

"Yeah we knew each other when we were kids – we used to pretend to be soldiers and fight, remember?" Gilbert asked me. I remembered fighting – not the pretending to be soldiers part.

"Yeah," I lied, smoothening my sweater vest – which had been wrinkled when Gilbert had very unceremoniously hugged me.

"Oh yeah! I remember you too! I think I once tackled you to the ground when I was pretending to be a Viking!" the tall one with wild hair said. I vaguely remembered that happening. Well, I remembered my face being buried into mud, and a boy with crazy hair laughing and running away…

"Wait – Mathias knows you from before too?" Alfred asked with a pout. He glared at Ari, who looked slightly taken aback. "You didn't meet him before this moment too, did you?" he accused.

"Of course not. I moved here years after those two met him," Ari replied crossly. Mathias laughed and pulled Ari to him, messing up the shorter boy's whitish hair.

"Jealous?" Mathias teased as Ari pushed away from him.

"Hardly," Ari scoffed, looking peeved. Gilbert laughed.

"You sound like my brother now!" he exclaimed, making a face. It was then I remembered Gilbert's brother – a quieter, shorter boy with an odd curl to the side that almost looked like it was floating and a cross hair clip on the side of his head. He never bothered to play with us, always sitting underneath a tree reading fairy tales. Gilbert used to spend the moments where he wasn't bullying me to harass his brother.

Ari frowned and turned red as Alfred, Gilbert and Mathias laughed at him. "So, what are you guys doing?" he asked, trying to desperately change the subject.

"Oh me and Arthur were just -"

"Were we interrupting something?" Gilbert simpered. Alfred and I turned a bright red while Mathias and Gilbert high5ed.

"He was fixing my motorcycles," I replied indignantly. Just like that, the laughter stopped and the three boys crowded around the motorcycles with awe.

"These are yours?" Gilbert asked, looking surprised. I nodded.

"That one is Alfred's," I added, pointing to the one that Alfred liked most. I didn't have to say anymore; Alfred took over from there, telling his friends all about how he was going to fix it. I sat back down on my wooden stool as the four boys chattered away, using mechanic terms that made my head hurt trying to understand them all. I was surprisingly happy just watching them tinker away at the motorcycles.

It was when I noticed on a worn out looking clock that it was almost 8 in the evening that I stood up again, stretching out of my legs and realizing I had been sitting down for far too long.

Alfred looked up as I did, suddenly looking guilty. "We're boring you, aren't we?" he asked me.

"Oh no, I'm fine," I answered quickly. "I just have to go home soon – Albert will be wondering where I am."

"When are you coming back?" he asked me, sounding hopeful. Today was Saturday, and I had finished all my homework the night before.

"How about tomorrow?" I asked, and I noticed Mathias and Gilbert exchange a knowing smirk.

"That's great!" Alfred said happily, and Ari smiled and exchanged a look with the other two behind Alfred's back.

"We can even go buy any parts that you might need to fix the bikes," I suggested.

"No – you don't have to do that!" Alfred said quickly.

"It's okay, I'm paying for all of this. You just need to fix these," I told him.

"But…it doesn't seem right," Alfred protested.

"Well you're giving me riding lessons," I reminded him.

"Riding lessons?" Gilbert asked lecherously, nudging Mathias and Ari. Mathias let out a loud guffaw and Ari smirked. Alfred turned a bright red and glared at them, his face reddening even more as the boys laughed at him. I blushed as well, realizing the innuendo.

"I-I'll see you tomorrow," I stammered, and fled the garage as Mathias, Ari and Gilbert laughed harder.

"You guys are never coming on my land again or else I'll…I'll beat you up!" I heard Alfred say furiously at them. I couldn't help myself – I chuckled. The noise startled me; I never thought I could ever laugh again. The amazement fuelled my chuckling and it grew into a laugh. I found myself gasping for air, laughing harder than I ever had. When it finally died down I felt light and weightless – happy. I chuckled again and drove home, turning up the radio and humming to the music under my breath. I picked up something to eat for dinner and drove home, setting up the plates for when my father arrived.

Albert came home a few minutes after I did, walking into the kitchen and freezing when he saw me.

"Hullo dad," I said, grinning at him. Albert stared at me for a few moments, looking shocked…and slightly confused.

"How was your visit to Alfred's?" he asked me, sitting down at the table.

"It was fun," I replied, motioning to the bags of take-out that he could start eating.

"What did you two do?" he asked me cautiously, still in wonder of my sudden mood change.

"We hung out in his garage and I helped him work on this car that he's almost done fixing. It looks pretty good," I told my father as I tucked into dinner.

"I believe George did mention that to me a while ago," my father replied, watching me from the corner of his eye as he helped himself to some food.

The moment I finished, I flew around the kitchen, clearing up dishes and generally cleaning up, before joining my father to watch a footy match in the living room. Time flew by as I did such mindless work, and before I knew it, it was time for me to go to bed.

When I woke up the next morning, I did my daily habits and went downstairs to eat breakfast when it hit me. I hadn't had any nightmares. None at all. It was a strange feeling to be rid of them, yet a part of me worried that they were return. I pegged the cause for their disappearance on Alfred – surely spending so much time with someone who made me completely forget about…_him_ was why they hadn't appeared the night before.

"Where are you going?" Albert asked me as I eat my cereal quickly.

"Alfred's. Won't be back til late," I replied over my shoulder as I flew out of the kitchen. I hadn't wanted my father to see the check book I had hidden in my jacket pocket.

It was a bright sunny day when I met up with Alfred at his house – so bright, that I was a bit disappointed that we would be spending it indoors with the bikes.

"Any thing for us to buy?" I asked him when he approached my truck, waving my check book in the air.

"Not just yet," Alfred replied with an easy grin. "I managed to most of the stuff I need at the junkyard nearby, I've almost finished your bike – wanna see?" he asked and before I could even reply, he took me by the hand and dragged me into the garage.

It was interesting watching Alfred at work. Normally the boy was awkward on his feet – the rest of growing far too quickly – but when he was at work with the bikes, he was careful and cautious, rarely ever making a mistake. Of course, he never stopped talking, and with the radio playing in the background and the sun shining through a small window nearby, I felt at ease, letting the warm of the sun wash over me as I relaxed and watched Alfred work. He seemed to be enjoying himself. Mathias, Ari and Gilbert didn't appear like they did last time, and I wondered if Alfred's rather weak threat had actually worked.

"We should probably start cleaning up now," Alfred said, breaking into my quiet meditation. I blinked, standing up, making a face as my bones cracked from lack of use. Alfred grinned at me.

"Arthur? Al – you in there?" George's voice could be heard calling for us from the house. "Your father's here, Arthur – you're having dinner here!" he added.

My eyes widened. "My dad is here?" I asked myself and suddenly flew into panic mode. "Quick – hide everything in case my dad comes in here!" I exclaimed to Alfred. I knew my father probably wanted to see what was interesting me so much that I would spend two whole days with Alfred.

"No worries – I got this," Alfred said easily, quickly throwing a large sheet over the bikes, reaching over and flicking off the lights. We were enveloped in darkness, and I realized how late it actually was.

"Al?" I called out, feeling slightly unnerved.

"Right here," Alfred said from behind me and I tried not to jump in surprise. Alfred's larger hand found my own and I found myself being led out of the garage and into the evening air. I had been right; my father was walking up the pathway to the garage as we ran towards him, staring at Alfred's hand holding onto mine with some surprise.

"What were you two doing?" he asked in a seemingly friendly tone, his eyes still flickering to our hands. I blushed slightly and tried to get Alfred to let go of my hands. He wasn't listening.

"We were fixing this car of mine! It's getting along pretty well!" Alfred said cheerfully.

"Well, let's get going into the house – your father's just finished putting everything out, and the Beilschmidts are over, too," Albert replied. Alfred looked pleased.

"Awesome!" he exclaimed, dragging me towards the house.

"I see you two have finally decided to join us," George teased as we walked into the kitchen. I saw Gilbert glance at our joined hands and grin evilly and I finally wrenched my hand out of Alfred's. "I thought you were going to miss my world famous burgers, made using a super secret recipe that was handed down for generations," he added.

"Dad, you bought all the stuff from the store – how is that super secret?" Alfred asked, and everyone else laughed as we got into our seats. I sat nearby Erik, Gilbert's quiet brother [older or younger, I couldn't really remember]. He looked up at me briefly and nodded, before turning back to his book – oddly enough, a worn book of fairy tales. I spent the dinner talking to Alfred and Gilbert, laughing at how Gilbert flicked his fries at Erik, laughing harder when Erik sent Gilbert a glare that made Gilbert look terrified. Gilbert's family was very unlike Alfred's family, and mine. His mother [a pretty albino woman named Gillian] had the same boisterous energy that Gilbert did. I watched in amusement as she tried to convince her husband [a tall and stern blonde man who was just as stoic-looking as Erik] to eat more vegetables.

"Honestly sweetie, you're not a barbarian! Eat some carrots," she goaded. Her husband didn't reply, blushing slightly as the other men laughed.

Eventually, though, the dinner had to end as rain began to pour down outside. I bid farewell to Gilbert, Erik and Alfred [promising to visit after school and bring along homework so it didn't look like we were neglecting our studies for the sake of me fulfilling a masochistic desire] and followed my father to my truck, driving away just as the rain began to fall harder.

When we reached home, I felt the depression that had been hanging over me prior to visiting Alfred take over. I had a feeling the nightmares would resume the moment I went to sleep, so to put it off, I checked my email – something I hadn't done for a while.

There was an email from my mother. My stomach clenched nervously as I read the contents. It was just as cheerful and happy as she was – yet there was worry for me in her words.

_How are you, sweetie?_

_You haven't replied to any of the emails I've sent you. _

_Your father told me about what happened, Arthur. I know it doesn't feel like it because I'm in another country, but darling I'm here for you – no matter where I am in the world. If you're upset, please talk to me. I don't like thinking that my baby is sad D:_

The guilt was almost unbearable. I quickly scanned the rest of her email and pressed 'reply', filling my mother in on everything that had happened to me thus far – leaving out the depressed, zombie-like months and the encounter with those shady-looking men outside of the movie theatre.

When I had finished writing a very long email back to her, my body decided it couldn't take being held off from sleep for so long. I decided to give in and go sleep, knowing fully well the nightmares would return.

I was right.

I woke up screaming. Light peeked out from my window through the blinds, hitting me in the face as I stopped screaming, the sound still ringing in my ears. It occurred to me that Albert no longer bothered checking on me after hearing me scream; it had become a regular occurrence to him. The thought terrified me.

When I arrived at school, I had another revelation. I was practically invisible. No one bothered to pay attention to me anymore, sliding by me and focused on their own lives. Teachers didn't even call on me, their eyes passing over me like I wasn't even there. Even Michelle didn't spare me a glance when I greeted her; she was giving me the cold shoulder after months of ignoring her. I sighed as I left the class. I supposed I deserved that.

"Hullo Peter," I said as I entered my English class. Peter looked up from his Power Rangers story [I wasn't even aware that they even made stories on Power Rangers] and stared at me suspiciously.

"Hello," Peter replied, his eyes flickering back to his book.

"How was your weekend?" I asked him as cheerfully as I could, sitting down next to him.

"Alright," Peter replied monotonously, turning back to his book. Try as I might, I couldn't get him to hold a conversation with me. When the bell rang for the next period, I fervently hoped that I would have better luck with the lunch group than with Peter and Michelle.

As I walked with Peter to our regular table, it hit me how many people had joined it. In the beginning it had been just Michelle, Kiku, Peter, Laurent, and Taylor. Now it was those five and a few more people. Sarah's brother Jackson was there, along with Catherine – a brunette who I had been in one of my classes last year, Jonathan, and Sanjana. I hardly knew these people yet the others seemed to very well. There was talking and laughter going all around me. It was like I was invisible.

I decided to jump into one of the conversations.

"Where's your boyfriend?" Laurent asked Kiku. I decided to tune into this one – was Laurent talking about Ben? I hardly recognized Laurent, to be honest. He had dyed his hair an odd shade of blonde and it made him look washed out because of his pale skin. I wondered why he had done that – did Taylor make him? Wait, where those two even dating still? I saw Jake or Jacob or whatever his name dancing with Laurent last year but later on I saw he and Taylor snogging in some random corner. Did they break up yet? I never bothered asking Taylor. I didn't think they still were – a part of me thought that Taylor might've realized how evil Laurent was and dumped him [though the other part of me suspected that Taylor would've been too stupid to realize that and had been dumped by Laurent]. I felt bad for assuming such things. Perhaps Laurent was a lot nicer this year and I never noticed it. Maybe Laurent was a perfect saint, realizing that his assholey-ness was liked by no one and decided to change it so he wasn't shunned by the school and made a local pariah for his evil and thoughtless behaviour -

I believe I should stop thinking about it so much.

Kiku blushed slightly. "He's at home, sick. He caught the stomach flu on yesterday," he replied.

"What did you two do then?" Peter asked, not really sounding like he cared. I supposed that Peter was just waiting for something that could somewhat relate to what he wanted to share so he could take over the spotlight. I noticed that he and Michelle were sitting as far away as possible, and that Peter seemed to be staring straight ahead, determined to not look over in her direction.

"We were supposed to go out for lunch but we decided to stay indoors and he let me draw him," Kiku answered.

That didn't escape Peter and Laurent's notice. "What didn't you go out?" Laurent asked.

"Ben wanted to stop by somewhere because he had to pick up a package for his mother. We were taking the long route and we passed by the forest and…we saw something in it," Kiku said.

"Like what? A squirrel?" Peter asked.

"No," Kiku said, looking slightly annoyed, "something like a bear. A very large bear."

"Oh God, not you too," Laurent said, rolling his eyes. "Do you honestly believed there's some sort of 'giant bear thing' that's roaming the forest?" he asked in a condescending tone, and I knew he was still a bastard.

"It's true – we saw it!" Kiku protested.

"He's right," I interrupted, feeling slightly annoyed at the looks on Peter and Laurent's faces. "We had some hiker person in the grocery store talking about that didn't we, Taylor?" I asked.

There was silence.

"Didn't we?" I asked, feeling unnerved. Was it really so surprising for me to talk?

"Uh…yeah. We did," Taylor replied, looking shocked. "He was going about seeing some freaky humongous bear thing while hiking," he added.

"Oh," Laurent said, not even looking at Taylor. "Whatever. Did you get accepted to a university yet?" he asked, turning back to Peter. Taylor rolled his eyes and turned back to his conversation. I blinked. Obviously they weren't together.

"Thank you for defending me, Arthur," Kiku said to be quietly. I smiled at him.

"No problem," I replied.

"How was your weekend?" he asked. I shrugged.

"I spent it over at Riverside. There are some family friends over there," I replied.

"I remember you speaking to a boy there during the beach trip," Kiku responded with a nod, and I was surprised he even remembered that I had been there, given the fact Kiku had spent most of his time talking to Ben.

The bell rang at that point and everyone stood up to get to the next class.

"I'm happy you're back, Arthur," Kiku told me as we stood up and began to walk towards the doors. "The past few months were not the same without you."

"Lovely, Arthur's back," Laurent whispered loudly to Peter.

"Ignore them," Kiku said hastily, giving me a quick smile. I smiled back.

"I'm glad I'm back too," I replied.

* * *

**A/N: I really need to write faster. But urgh, school beckons. Plus my friends are totally impatient lil bastards and want me to finish my other stories that star them 8D **

**Review?**


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight:

What the fuck was I doing here?

This was beyond stupid.

This most probably would be the stupidest thing I have ever done.

Was I _trying_ to get myself back to that zombie phase?

I should go back to Alfred. Alfred was a healthy influence.

This _wasn't_ a healthy thing to do.

I continued to drive along the road, the loaming trees almost frightening as I approached. I gripped the steering wheel tighter, my knuckles turning white. Why was I doing this? I supposed that it was the urge to hear _his_ voice again.

As I drove closer to the large white house in the distance, my hands started to shake. A part of me wanted to believe that maybe, perhaps, they were still there – just hiding away from the rest of civilization, waiting until I disappeared so they could come out.

I put the truck on brake and stepped out, shivering as a light breeze blew past.

The house looked empty. My heart sank as I looked around. It looked like it had been deserted for a few months. They really had left.

I approached the front door pensively, reaching a hand out to touch the cool wooden surface. I had gone through this door so many times in the past – it was almost bizarre that I couldn't go in this time.

I stood there and stared for what seemed like an eternity. When I finally couldn't take it any longer, I turned and walked back to my truck, driving away from the house for what could've been the very last time.

Alfred was waiting for me when I drove up into his driveway, looking eager. I waved at George who had been watching me arrive from the window and approached him.

Almost immediately he grabbed my arm. "Let's get to work!" Alfred said cheerfully, pulling me away with such a strength that I nearly stumbled and fell three times.

When Alfred flicked on the lights to the garage, it amazed me at how Alfred had managed to transform those rusted, dirty bikes into something that _actually_ looked like two motorcycles.

"You're amazing," I said, going up to one of them and marvelling at how new it looked.

The smile on Alfred's face looked like it could've split his face into two.

"I could've taken more time to finish this though," Alfred admitted sheepishly, running a hand through his golden hair. I frowned.

"What do you mean?" I asked curiously.

Alfred blushed, looking away as he formulated his answer. "Arthur…" he finally began, "What would you have done if I told you I couldn't fix these bikes?" he asked.

I shrugged. "I would throw those bikes out and ask if you wanted to do something else together," I replied and smiled slightly as Alfred beamed at me.

"So you'll still visit even after these are done, right?" Alfred asked me eagerly, grabbing a wrench to continue working.

"Of course!" I replied, almost surprised that he'd think that I wouldn't. In the past few days Alfred had become the closest friend I had. He could be loud and annoying, but I felt comfortable around him and happy.

"But I bet you just want to see Mathias again," Alfred teased. I frowned at him. Somehow, over the past few days, Alfred had begun to tease me about possibly harbouring feelings for the outgoing Dane – apparently he had caught me glancing at Mathias once for a few seconds and since then, wouldn't shut up about it.

"Yes, of course, I want to see Mathias again," I replied sarcastically, rolling my eyes as he laughed. I couldn't keep the frown on my face for long though; his laughter was contagious.

"You seriously like hanging out with me?" Alfred asked me after a silence.

"Are you really that worried that I don't?" I asked. "If it really does bother you, I don't have work on Wednesday so rather than work on the bikes then, we can devote that day to doing homework," I said.

"That would be a good idea," Alfred admitted sheepishly and my eyes narrowed, suspicious at how much he was leaving off to work on these bikes for me.

"We should have at least two days for homework or else Albert and George will get suspicious and won't let us hang out," I added and Alfred made a face.

"Do we have to?" he asked. I gave him a look and he sighed. Standing up, Alfred walked over to a cooler not too far away and pulled out two cans of soda, tossing one at me. I barely caught it, and flushed as Alfred laughed. "Here's to homework?" he offered, raising his can up high. I grinned.

"And to dangerous recklessness in between," I added and pressed our cans together in a toast.

* * *

I leaned back on my chair, pressing send. I had just finished writing my mother, Victoria, a long letter about my day so far, mentioning hanging out with Alfred but never about the motorcycles. Victoria was a bit of a ditz but I knew even she would freak out about the motorcycles.

School was a lot more bearable after my little outburst. Kiku and Taylor had welcomed me back happily, speaking to me as though I hadn't ignored them for the past few months. Even Michelle was talking to me again, her anger apparently long gone. I had a feeling that winning over Peter was going to be harder than just apologizing, but I honestly didn't care. At least I had people to talk to now.

Taylor was chattier at work – adding random comments under his breath as we stocked shelves, imitating customers who asked us for help. I was surprised that Taylor was actually not too annoying to hang around with.

But of course, I should've realized that there was a reason to Taylor's friendliness. The reason didn't become clear until closing time, when we went to grab our jackets to head out before they locked up.

"So uh Arthur," he began as we walked to our cars.

"Yes?" I asked, glancing at him.

"D'you want to catch a movie with me this Friday?" he asked me. I stared, not comprehending.

"A movie?" I asked.

"Yeah…a movie. You know, like a date," Taylor said slowly.

"I don't date," I said in a finite tone, feeling irritated. Was Taylor ever going to give up on me? At least Michelle had given up – why couldn't he?

"Well how about as friends then?" Taylor asked quickly.

"Sure," I said finally and Taylor beamed. "But next week – I'm busy this week," I added quickly.

"What are you doing?" he asked me, trying to seem casual but failing.

"Just a study session with a friend," I said casually. He nodded and parted ways with me in silence, looking slightly irritated. I was feeling irritated myself – his determination to go out with me was insanely irking.

The next night was fairly better than the one before. Keeping my promise, I made Alfred come over to my house to work on his homework. As he joked at how his was much simpler than mine, I attempted to ignore him, eventually giving up and harassing him for acting like a child. Albert looked more than pleased when he walked in on us sitting cross-legged at the coffee table, books and papers scattered around us.

The following day was back at Alfred's garage, and he told me happily that his teachers seemed shocked that he actually finished his homework, prompting me to lecture him on the importance of keeping up to date with schoolwork and how if he didn't, he wouldn't be able to get to university. The day after that, Saturday, was back to doing homework – or rather, me attempting to get Alfred to study for a test while he was itching to watch the American football game playing on TV. Albert was completely reassured that I had gone back to normal and felt no guilt at all by spending the entire day with George and his friends fishing. When he came home in the evening Alfred and I had finished all of our homework and Alfred knew the basic facts that would enable him a passing mark. He walked into the living room just in time to see me pelt a pillow at Alfred as he casually remarked that the show we were watching on TV, _X-Factor_, was nowhere near as good as _American Idol_.

"I should probably go now – dad's probably wondering where I am," Alfred said with a sigh as after he threw the pillow back at me, laughing as I yelped [very manly] at how hard he threw it.

"Would you like me to drop you off?" I asked him, feeling slightly disappointed. It had been strangely fun spending my days with Alfred. He nodded eagerly and we walked to my truck and drove to his house in silence, the quiet only broken when Alfred decided to sing [horribly] along with one of the songs on the radio.

"Thanks," Alfred said as he hopped out of my car.

"Tomorrow is back to work," I reminded him as he walked over to my side of the car. "What time do you want me to come here?"

Alfred grinned, unexplainable excitement in his eyes. "I'll call and tell you," he told me, bounding away before I could yell out a goodbye. I rolled my eyes and drove back home, wondering what had made Alfred so excited.

* * *

"Arthur! The phone's ringing – could you get the phone?" my father called out from his car, surrounded by soap suds as he attempted to wash it. I pulled an ear bud out of my ear and frowned.

"The phone is ringing?" I asked out loud, standing up and walking into the house. Sure enough, it was – ringing away pathetically, waiting for someone to pick up the receiver. I did just that, knowing who it was already. "Alfred?" I asked into the phone.

"Good day, Arthur," Alfred said in a strangely accented voice. I had the oddest feeling he was trying his hand at a British accent but had no idea why he would.

"Yes?" I asked, wondering what was up with the younger boy.

"I believe the two of us have a date," he continued in that strange voice.

I blinked. His implication slowly began clear to me. My heart raced. "T-they're done?" I exclaimed, looking around furtively, hoping Albert was still outside and out of earshot. "You finished fixing them?" I asked eagerly.

"Yup! Just finished them! Come over so we can try them out!" Alfred said, his voice cracking slightly from his excitement.

"You are amazing," I breathed out, feeling excited myself. Here was my chance, the moment I had been waiting for.

Alfred laughed on the other line. "I'm totally your hero, right? Hurry up and come over! I can't wait to try these babies out!"

I ran out the door, surprising my dad as I flew into my truck and turned on the ignition.

"Off to Alfred's," he remarked casually. "What's the rush?"

"Oh you know, stuff," I replied back quickly. "See you later!"

I drove as fast as I possibly could in my truck, my fingers tapping the steering wheel anxiously as I pulled up into Alfred's driveway.

Alfred waved at me from the shade of the trees nearby the garage. It was clear from my point of view that the bikes were hidden behind the trees, and that mine had a shiny red ribbon on it, but I knew George possibly couldn't be able to see them from the house. I parked the truck and ran out to meet Alfred.

"Let's hurry up and get these into the truck," Alfred said quickly, lifting up one of the bikes. "This is so exciting!"

I laughed, helping Alfred load the bikes into my car. His excitement only fuelled mine and without any inhibitions, I drove far over the speed limit as we drove to a secluded area to test the bikes out.

Riverside was decidedly a lot prettier than St. Helens, I noted, as I watched the scenery fly by behind us as I drove. There was oddly some cliffs not too far by, and I watched as a boy jumped off of one.

Wait.

WHAT?

I slammed on the breaks as hard as I could, jumping out of the truck as fast as I could.

"We have to call the police!" I cried out in shock.

"What? Why?" Alfred asked, running out to my side.

"A boy just threw himself off of the cliff!" I yelled.

"Oh, that," Alfred said with an easy laugh. "Nah it's alright – let's keep going," he said, walking back to the passenger's seat.

"What are you talking about? We need to help that boy out!" I exclaimed.

"Nah he's alright – he's just doing recreational cliff diving," Alfred said calmly. I stared at him and he nodded reassuringly at me. I sighed and went back into my truck, continuing to drive.

"People do that?" I asked, sounding amazed. It seemed so reckless…so dangerous… "I want to try it," I announced.

Alfred stared at me. "You really want to?" he asked. "I guess I could bring you along next time I go…" he mused.

"You do it too?" I asked.

"Of course! It's a total rush!" he exclaimed. "But usually Berwald and his friends hog the best cliff," he muttered under his breath, pouting.

"Berwald and his gang?" I asked. "Berwald has a gang?"

"Yeah…well kind of. They don't do any shit like, get high and vandilize stuff, but they're this group of guys who call themselves the 'Guardians of Riverside' and they claim that they're descended from the original guardians, back when the people who lived in Riverside were like a tribe," Alfred replied, sounding bitter. I blinked, surprised. I hadn't realized Alfred even had the ability to sound this angry about something.

"You don't like them," I stated, rather obviously.

"Duh," Alfred said, rolling his eyes. "Turn here," he instructed.

"Any reason why?" I asked, making the turn so that we were now driving past lots of trees, rather than cliffs with a view of the water below.

"They're such posers, honestly. Like there was this one time where me and Mathias and Gilbert were hanging out and Mathias and Gilbert were picking on Miguel 'cause he's half Cuban and kinda short so he looks really out of place next to Berwald and the rest of the guys in Riverside because they're all tall and…stuff," Alfred said, off-handedly, blushing a little as he realized how racist that sounded. "Anyways," he continued quickly, "Miguel looked like he was going to explode or something – he started shaking and his hands balled into fists and he looked like, constipated or something but Berwald just gave him one of his creepy ol' death stares and put his hand on his chest and Miguel calmed down. It's like they worship him." Alfred spoke with disgust, frowning deeply. "They're so creepy. They totally stalk me too," he added.

"I'm sure you're exaggerating now," I said, concentrating more on driving than listening to him. I had a brief image of passing a group of anxious looking men as Berwald carried me into my house that faithful day so long ago. Were they the men from Berwald's gang?

"I'm not! Whenever they see me they're always murmuring amongst each other and surveying me and shit and it's like they're waiting for something to happen – it's so freaky," Alfred ranted, seeming like he had been waiting a long time to say this to someone – like he had bottled it up for a while. "It's like they want me to join their gang."

"You don't have to join anything you don't want to," I repeated my mother's words that she had told me so long ago back when I was around Alfred's age and there had been word of a gang nearby the apartment my mother and I lived in back in London.

Alfred snorted. "They've already taken Ari – and he was more against them than I am," he said.

"Ari? What do you mean?" I asked.

"I haven't talked to Ari for at least two weeks," Alfred said. "None of us have – we don't know what's wrong with him. He starts off almost completely terrified of Berwald and his poser gang and then the next time me and Mathias and Gilbert see him, he's chilling with them like they've been best friends for ever. I don't get it. It's like he joined a cult or something. It's really freaking me out," Alfred said, running a hand through his golden hair. "We can stop here – this place seems perfect," he said absently, motioning out to the field next to us. I eased the truck onto the field and went into break, stepping out of the truck with Alfred to the back.

"You should tell your father about them," I told him as we got the bikes out from the back.

Alfred laughed drily. "Like that's of any use. I told him and he said just keep waiting it out, because when I'm older I'll get it – or something like that," he said bitterly.

"Let's move away from this topic, shall we?" I said quickly, noticing the anger tears forming in Alfred's eyes. Clearly this was a hard subject for him to talk about, and I was starting to feel uncomfortable. I've never been really good at comforting people anyways.

"Yeah. Like how pale you are – honestly dude you're so pale! You look like you're dead or something," Alfred said, sticking a hand out against mine. Compared to my hand, his looked rather tan.

"I'm not outside lots," I said prissily, frowning as Alfred laughed.

"Obviously. You're almost as pale as Gil – and the only reason _he's_ that pale is 'cause he's an albino and stuff. The only people paler than Gilbert are those Paye kids…" Alfred paused uncomfortably and I felt my stomach lurch slightly.

"Shall we begin?" I asked my voice louder than it really should've been. My heart beat even faster, knowing how close I was to hearing _his_ voice again.

"Uh – yeah," Alfred said, grinning uncertainly at me. "Are you pumped?" he asked me, climbing onto his motorcycle.

I sat down and looked at the handlebars. Alfred's slip-up reminded me all too much of why I was even attempting this. My heart was now beating faster than it had been before.

"Let's go," I said.

* * *

**A/N: Totally forgot to mention this in the last chapter, but Mathias is Denmark, Erik is Norway and Ari is Iceland. Sorry if I confused you xD And yes, I know Norway and Iceland are canonically related and that Ice is probably a better Seth than Prussia is but I have an explanation for this! You'll find out about it in the next story~! :D**

**Review?**


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine:

"So, Artie – you know where everything is?" Alfred asked, sitting expertly on his motorcycle. I sat up a little bit straighter and nodded. Alfred had just spent the last fifteen making sure I knew where everything was. Alfred didn't seem to be convinced. "I think you're not holding the handlebars properly," he said, getting off of his motorcycle to stand by me.

"I think I know how to hold handlebars, Alfred," I said, rolling my eyes. That didn't stop Alfred from putting his hands on mine, standing behind me – his chest pressing against my back. It was like a scene from a cheesy romance movie – and I was playing the role of the heroine. "Let _go_ Alfred," I said through gritted teeth, irritated now, my cheeks flushing red.

"Okay," Alfred replied, smiling slightly as he walked back to his motorcycle.

I squeezed the clutch, lifting my foot to kick start the motorcycle into action. Beside me, Alfred kicked his motorcycle into action and flew past me, letting out a whoop of excitement.

_This is stupid and idiotic, even for you._

I blinked in surprise, my feet hovering above the ground. I steadied myself just in time as the motorcycle started to fall sideways.

"You okay man?" Alfred asked, looking behind him at me with concern.

"Yes," I called out, trying to differentiate from the voice in my head and Alfred's voice. I lifted my foot again to kick start the motorcycle.

_Please, Arthur – don't do this. This is dangerous and you're going to hurt yourself a lot more than you realize._

"I'd like to see you try to stop me," I growled under my breath, kick starting the motorcycle. The thing roared to life and I flew forwards. I had to squint to be able to see; the wind was flying into my eyes. It was the first time I've ever felt free – I felt like I could do anything.

Of course, though, I wanted to keep going. I went into second gear and found myself whooping as I went even faster – far away from Alfred.

_Arthur!_ The voice was furious – yelling to make itself heard over the roar of the motorcycle. _You're going to kill yourself!_

I laughed at the voice, wanting to go even faster. Adrenaline was coursing through my veins and I felt like I could do anything.

That's when I realized that I was approaching the end of the clear field. I was heading towards the trees and if I didn't act fast, I would crash into a tree. I panicked internally as the trees were getting closer and closer. I did what I would normally do on a bike; I twisted the handlebars to the right and hoped that that would make the motorcycle turn. Instead, the thing shuddered underneath me and I realized that it was now unstable, as it swung from one side to another, driving me towards the trees in a zigzag.

That's when we hit the rock. It had been not too big, but big enough to send me flying forwards as the motorcycle hit it. I found myself flying again, the wind in my face.

_Arthur!_

Everything went black.

I woke up a few minutes later, confused and dazed.

_I told you that you would get hurt_, the voice said rather smugly. _Go back to Albert; it's too dangerous for you here - _

"Arthur!" Alfred yelled, turning off his motorcycle. His voice sounded very far away.

I felt someone lift me into a sitting position, his warm body pressing me against him as he carried me away from…wherever I was.

"Are you okay?" Alfred asked me, gently letting me down on the grass. I leapt to my feet, feeling exhilarated.

"I feel great!" I exclaimed, grinning at him. I had finally managed to make the voices return. That must be it then – danger and adrenaline plus something reckless and stupid. It was a lot easier than I originally thought.

Alfred didn't smile back at me. "You're bleeding," he said, pointing to something on my head. I put a hand to my forehead and when I pulled it off, it was completely covered in blood. I could feel bile rising up my throat as the smell hit me.

"I think I'm going to be sick," I said pathetically and that was all I needed to say to put Alfred into action.

He peeled off his shirt in an effortless move, throwing it to me. I folded it and pressed it against my head, trying to breathe evenly.

"I'll go get the truck – I can drive," Alfred offered, sprinting off to his motorcycle before I could say anything. I watched him drive off, frowning at how his well-defined, muscular arms clenched over to the motorcycle handlebars. He looked like a professional while riding that motorcycle. I probably didn't even come close to that. I was envious, despite myself.

As the truck approached, I walked forwards to sit in the passenger seat, letting Alfred grab my bike and put it in the back with the other one. Alfred spun my truck to face the other way, and began driving as fast as he could.

"Let's stop at my house," I said quickly before Alfred could pull into the main road.

Alfred stared at me incredulously. "Are you kidding me? We need to get you to the hospital – quick!" he replied.

"No – put the bikes back in the garage and stop by at my house. I'll clean myself up and make it look like I had…I dunno…fallen down the stairs or something. I don't want Albert finding out about this," I said in a finite tone.

Alfred sighed, nodding. He knew I had a point. "You're surprisingly wild…for an old man," he teased. I frowned at him and he laughed. "But I guess it's good for me – you give me heroic work to do," he added, beaming at me.

At home, while Alfred found himself something to eat, I busied myself in the washroom with cleaning up, trying to think about other things to make sure I didn't start throwing up or worse – faint. By the time I emerged with a cleaner shirt [Alfred's white shirt now in the wash with hopes that the blood would wash off], Alfred had managed to assemble himself a hamburger [even though I don't recall buying any hamburger meat or buns…] and was now munching on it while flipping through channels.

"Do I look better?" I asked, grabbing the remote from him and flicking the television off. Alfred pouted at me but nodded in response. "Do you think the doctors think I trip and hit my head on a hammer or fell down some stairs?" I asked.

"Probably – I don't know what a cut from tripping and hitting a hammer or falling down the stairs looks like," Alfred said with a laugh as we walked to the truck where Alfred insisted that he drive, citing my injury as an excuse why I shouldn't drive.

"Are you cold?" I asked, realizing that Alfred was still shirtless. His torso was just as tan as his arms and face, harder muscles on his stomach. He was probably as muscular – if not more – than Mathias and Gilbert, and they were both older than him.

"I'm not cold…what?" Alfred seemed to realize that I was staring at him longer than I really should have.

"You're kind of beautiful," I blurted out, my face turning a bright red when I realized I had actually said that out loud. I prayed he wouldn't take it the wrong way.

Alfred burst out laughing, however. "You really hit your head hard, didn't ya?" he asked between gasps of laughter.

I grinned, laughing too. "I probably did," I agreed.

"But thanks," Alfred added, winking at me teasingly. "Mathias has some competition from me, I guess – right?"

"Of course," I replied, rolling my eyes.

* * *

I had to get seven stitches on my forehead and Alfred told me that it would leave a pretty sick scar. Apparently, that was supposed to be a good thing. Albert seemed to believe my excuse that I had fallen down the stairs – after all, I had convinced him that that had happened to me when I had been attacked by Yao.

As I expected, the nightmares and the raw pain returned when I went to bed, the ghastly after products of my delusions. But oddly, I was able to cope with it. I found myself in the same situation as always, but rather than feeling uncontrollably terrified, I was waiting for the dream to end so I could return back to reality…and Alfred. I was certain that Alfred's influence was dulling the terror of the nightmares.

Alfred and my escapades with the motorcycles continued. The motorcycles worked like a dream – they let me be as reckless and idiotic as I so pleased, and I could hear the voice that I yearned for every waking minute.

However, after a call from the doctor who informed my father that I might possibly have a concussion, Albert began to question what Alfred and I were doing when we said we were just playing around with Alfred's tools and fiddling around in his garage.

"I don't think you should be in the garage so much if you're going to keep getting hurt like this," Albert said to me over dinner. I panicked internally. I needed to keep riding the motorcycles. Hearing _his_ voice was becoming a rather unhealthy addiction and I was ready to go through any amounts of pain to keep hearing it.

"We weren't in the garage this time," I lied quickly. Well, that was partially true; we had been in the open field where Alfred had initially taught me how to ride a motorcycle. I managed to hit another tree. "We were hiking and I…tripped and hit a rock," I said.

"It's not like you to be this clumsy," Albert said quietly. He paused and then added, "Since when did you hike?"

"Alfred wanted to show me this family of squirrels he found while hiking with some friends," I said quickly. "It was lots of fun."

Albert harrumphed and continued eating. "Just be careful," he said after a pause. "Those reports of those giant bears are increasing and I don't want you kids to be in danger."

"We'll be fine," I assured him. Albert harrumphed again and went back to eating. I had a feeling he wasn't convinced.

* * *

"My father is onto us," I said to Alfred when I picked him up after school. I noticed Ari walk past us, not even bothering to make eye contact. Alfred's jaw clenched, but he didn't say anything.

"We shouldn't use the bikes for a while then," Alfred replied, turning to me as we drove back to his house. He saw the look on my face and quickly added, "But we can do something else, right?"

"Like what?" I asked, pulling onto the main road. Alfred shrugged.

"Anything you want!" he replied with a grin.

I thought about it for a few minutes, knowing all too well what I wanted. My attempt with the house hadn't worked at all – it completely backfired and it left me feeling like there was a hole in my chest. But surely there was another place where _his_ imprint was left upon, that could trigger the voice again. Surely I could hear the voice without trying to kill myself.

That's when I thought of the field. The field _he_ had shown me when we first kissed. It was the one thing that he held special, and I knew that there was a strong chance I'd hear the voice there.

There was a lot of potential that this could backfire – if the house didn't work, how would this work? But hanging out with Alfred made me want to take more chances, and I had already told Albert I was hiking…why not?

"You look constipated," Alfred teased, poking my cheek and breaking into my thoughts. "Whatcha thinkin' about?"

"I want to go hiking," I said. "I found a cool meadow a year ago and I want to see if I can find it again."

"Sounds cool to me~!" Alfred said, enthusiastic to my plans as usual – no matter how weird they were.

When we got to Alfred's house, Alfred busied himself with finding a map and drawing complicated things on it that apparently were going to help us find the meadow. I was afraid of telling George what we were planning to do – what if he told Albert?

"Wouldn't it be jokes if we found the super giant bear thing?" Alfred asked as he poured over his map. George, to my surprise, laughed.

"Bring some honey, in case it's hungry," he joked and he and Alfred laughed.

"Nah, I'll just use Artie – I'm sure you're delicious," he teased and I scowled.

"I just have to run faster than you and I'm good. I bet you taste like hamburgers," I shot back and George and I laughed at the look on Alfred's face.

* * *

"We have to go this way now," I said, pointing away from the trail. Alfred stared at me.

"We're not going down the trail?" he asked me as we left the trail.

"I'm a rebel," I joked.

I could tell that I was slowing Alfred down as we pushed away past tree branches. He was a bit ahead of me, consulting his map and holding the compass as though he had been doing this all his life. I envied him – I probably looked a mess right about now, with all the leaves in my hair and the fact that my face was turning red trying to keep up with him. I really needed to get back into shape.

"I take it things with Ari aren't going so well," I ventured after a silence, when Alfred stopped for me to catch up to him.

Alfred frowned, looking away. "Yup," he answered quietly.

"Still with Berwald?"

"Yup." Alfred sighed, putting an arm around my shoulders. Normally I would've pushed the arm off, but Alfred seemed so upset about losing one of his friends, that I let his arm stay there. At least now I was moving at the same pace as him.

We managed to cover quite a bit of ground by the time the sun began to set and Alfred decided it would be best for us to go home. "We should hike every Sunday now," Alfred said, grabbing me by the hand and dragging me towards the truck. "You're so slow," he teased, laughing at how I flushed.

"Are we going tomorrow too?" I asked curiously since tomorrow would be Sunday.

"Sure! This is fun – like an adventure," Alfred replied, grinning cheekily at me.

"Even though I'm slowing you down?" I asked as we caught site of my truck. I wrenched my hand out of Alfred's larger one and walked to the driver's side.

"I'll manage," Alfred replied easily. "And of course, if that super giant bear ever finds us – I'm sacrificing you," he added. "You probably taste good."

Again, I was reminded that he wasn't the first person to tell me that.

* * *

**A/N: Hello~! I decided that rather than study for my final exam, Anthropology/Psychology/Sociology, I would treat you all to a new chapter! ^^ Hopefully when next semester rolls around, I'll have more time to write :D**

**Question: I have a question for you guys. I need a first name for Gilbert's father, who is Germania if you haven't realized it yet. The name I used to use for him was Adalbert but not only are there way too many characters whose names start with A as it is, it's the German variant for the name Albert, so it'd be weird having Arthur's father and Gilbert's father with the same name. So any suggestions for what I should use? Whichever is the most popular or the one I like best will be the one I use.**

**Review and I may write the next chapter uber fast! **


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten:

Time fly by so much faster than it ever did before. I was caught up with school, my job and Alfred – though it wasn't always in that order. But I managed to keep myself busy and with a smile on my face – something that Albert was pleased about. It seemed to be that I was finally recovering from everything before, but I knew that it would be a very long time before I could think of _him_ without a pain in my chest and a burst of anger.

I was getting better at riding my motorcycle – something that Alfred said was a good thing. To me, it wasn't a good thing. While being more expert at riding it prevented me from getting hurt and having Albert find out, it meant that the voice was fading away until I could barely hear it anymore. I tried to find myself more reckless things to do in an attempt to hear the voice again, but to no avail. My urge to find the meadow again grew.

Because I was so busy, I barely even caught what day it was until Alfred greeted me at his house with a box of chocolates.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Artie!" he greeted me, thrusting the box into my hands. "Open it, open it!"

I did as told, rolling my eyes as Alfred began to eat the chocolates that had been supposed to be for me. "It's a good thing you finally came," Alfred said between bites. "I nearly ate this whole thing by myself!"

"Of course," I replied, smirking at how Alfred managed to smear chocolate all over his face. "You're disgusting – go clean your face up," I told him.

"Yes _mother_," Alfred simpered, running off to find a paper towel. When he returned, he beamed when he caught me nibbling on one of the chocolates. "So, are you my Valentine or what?" he asked. I could hear the hopeful note in his voice and it made my stomach churn uncomfortably. Being around Alfred sometimes blurred the lines between friendship…and something more and I had to make sure that Alfred knew where I stood with this. Nicely, of course, because I didn't want to hurt Alfred's feelings.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I sputtered, blushing and looking away as Alfred pouted sadly. So much for trying to say it nicely.

"So are we hiking tomorrow?" Alfred asked, changing the subject.

"I suppose so – but a part of me is starting to think that I imagined the meadow…" I replied with a frown. So many tries, and we still haven't found it.

"Biking on Friday?" Alfred asked me hopefully.

"I'm going to the movies with some friends on Friday," I lied quickly. I could always take Taylor up on his offer. "You can come too – you're a _friend_ of mine as well," I said, emphasizing the friend so Alfred would get the hint.

"Okay!" Alfred said enthusiastically.

"If you want, you can ask Mathias or Gilbert to come too – but not both of them, I don't think I'll be able to handle them both at the same time," I added, hoping that if his friends were there too, he wouldn't feel so awkward being around older people.

"Mathias would totally come for the boys," Alfred said with a laugh.

"And Gilbert?"

"For the girls…maybe the guys too – he's probably in denial."

"Well then, I promise to bring a good selection of them," I said with a grin.

I really hoped that the others would agree.

* * *

Taylor was iffy about it when I asked him. He wasn't as enthusiastic as he was after I mentioned that it would be a group thing, and not just the two of us.

"A group of us to go see that new horror movie?" Taylor asked. He frowned. "Who would go?"

"Kiku and Ben, Jackson, Katherine, Sanjana, Peter…maybe Michelle and maybe Laurent," I added the last name with reluctance. I _had_ promised Mathias a good selection of boys.

Taylor made a face at the last name but didn't say anything.

"And I'm inviting a few friends from Riverside to join us," I added.

"The ones you're always with?" Taylor asked. I nodded. "Your study group?"

"More like tutoring group," I said with a snort, remembering all the times I had to help Alfred with his homework. The boy absolutely had no sense of grammar and I found myself playing English teacher whenever I had to read over his essays. "They're all in the tenth grade," I informed him and Taylor smiled, a bit more excited now.

Alas, I should've realized that everything was going to go terribly wrong.

Apparently Jackson and Katherine were dating and it was their three month anniversary, so they politely declined. The moment Laurent and Peter had heard that I was taking a part in organizing the little outing; they said they were busy with something and managed to convince Sanjana and Michelle into not going. I wasn't surprised when I heard from Taylor that Peter and Michelle were dating again.

And then, of course, Mathias and Gilbert had to pick up a fight some boys at school and found themselves suspended for two weeks and grounded for two months.

In the end it was just Kiku, Ben, Taylor, Alfred and I who could go. I fervently hoped Kiku and Ben would come.

On the Friday we were going to the movies, I found myself waiting impatiently for Alfred and Taylor to arrive, already in a bad mood. Ben had called a few minutes before to inform me that Kiku had contracted the stomach flu that was spreading around our school like wild fire and he didn't really want to go if Kiku wasn't going either. Now it would just be Alfred, Taylor and I. Just perfect.

"Hey Artie!" Alfred said, driving into my driveway. My jaw dropped.

"Is that the car you were working on before the motorcycles?" I asked, dropping my voice so if Albert was nearby, he wouldn't hear the part about the motorcycles. Alfred nodded, grinning proudly.

"Isn't she a beaut?" he asked, patting the hood affectionately.

Before I could reply, I saw a flash of moment coming from my peripheral vision. I turned and saw Taylor parking his car along the side of the road near my house. I waved at him and he waved back, eyeing Alfred and frowning. Oh no. I could feel my heart sink as Taylor walked over to us and gave Alfred a look, one that Alfred returned readily.

"This is Alfred, Taylor. Taylor, this is Alfred," I introduced. The two other boys nodded at each other, still trying to out-intimidate the other.

"L-let's get going, shall we?" I said after an awkward pause. I no longer wanted to go, but what could I do?

"Yeah – c'mon Artie, you can ride in _my_ car – the one I built myself," Alfred said cheerfully, flashing Taylor a look. Taylor scowled and stomped back to his car. I got into the passenger seat of Alfred's face, praying to Jesus, God and every other heavenly figure that this trip would go well.

Maybe I should consider atheism, because none of them answered my prayers.

As Alfred handed me his ten dollars [he was too young to buy the ticket for himself, so much for him boasting that he could pass off as a seventeen year old], I could see Taylor sulking beside us. I almost wished that he hadn't come. At least it wouldn't have been as uncomfortable.

"C'mon let's go!" Alfred said, grabbing my hand and dragging me into the theatre. He refused to let go of my hand.

Never mind, I was wrong. It would've been more uncomfortable with _just_ Alfred. I was slightly thankful for Taylor's appearance. Alfred wouldn't try anything on me if Taylor was there.

As the lights dimmed down and the opening credits began to play, I wondered how I managed to be sitting in between Alfred and Taylor, both of them looking apprehensive as the gore immediately started. I grinned, sinking into my seat. This movie had the makings to be a very gory, disgusting movie. It was almost beautiful at the lack of romance in it.

Alas, I couldn't enjoy it as much as I wanted to; Taylor was scowling as Alfred cowered at my shoulder, trembling at each scary thing that showed up on the big screen.

"Isn't this a great movie?" Alfred asked in a shaky voice at a relatively calm voice. I stared at him incredulously as he flinched at a particular loud sound that was really made only to spook the audience further. I hadn't expected Alfred to be someone who feared horror movies.

"This is disgusting," Taylor muttered under his breath as someone thrust their hands into a man's eye sockets, ripping his skull apart, blood and eyeballs flying everywhere. I smirked at the bad effects, almost wishing that this movie was in 3-D. It would've been even more enjoyable that way.

Halfway into the movie, I wondered to myself if Alfred would be able to make through the entire movie without bolting out of the theatre. Compared to Taylor and I, who were watching the movie with ease, Alfred looked like he was about to throw up, turning an odd shade of green as a woman was literally split into half by a chainsaw. It was ironic in a sense – wasn't it only last year when I had to leave my history class because I couldn't handle the gore in a movie about world war two? What had happened to me?

Surprisingly though, a few minutes after that, it was Taylor who ran out of the theatre, unable to take it any longer.

"I should go check on him," I muttered as people turned to look at us, my face turning a shade of red.

"I'll come too!" Alfred said, clutching onto my arm as yet another person was decapitated.

"No stay, enjoy the movie," I said, pushing him off of me and exiting the theatre. He followed me anyways, too terrified to stay in there by himself.

Alfred waited outside as I went into the men's washroom to check up on Taylor. As I left Taylor throwing up in a toilet, gagging at how the sound of him vomiting was echoing around the washroom, I found Alfred waiting not too far away, eating the popcorn that we had bought for the movie and never touched, being too into the movie. Or at least, in my case that is.

"He's going to be in there for a while," I informed Alfred.

Alfred snorted. "Some man he is," he joked. "He's definitely not good boyfriend material for _you_. You should go for a heroic man who's scared of nothing," he added, sticking his chest out. I scoffed; was he talking about himself? I still remembered how he quivered at every somewhat almost scary part in the movie.

"Let's sit down," I suggested, trying to change the subject before Alfred could continue about how he was probably a better choice for me as opposed to Taylor.

He nodded and sat down at a velvet bench not too far away from the theatres, motioning me to sit beside him. I did so, frowning as Alfred put an arm around me. "A-Al," I said, pushing his arm off of me. Alfred didn't even seem affected by the slight rejection. He grabbed my hand and held it in his much larger hand. "Let go of me," I said through gritted teeth, irritated at Alfred's sudden courage.

"No wait – I have something to ask you," Alfred asked. I felt my heart sink; almost expecting what would be coming next.

"What?" I asked him warily, still trying to tug my hand out of his.

"You like me, right?" Alfred asked. I stared at him.

"I suppose so," I grumbled, blushing slightly. I didn't really like admitting those sort of things to people.

"More than that loser?" Alfred asked, jerking his head to point towards the men's washroom. I smirked slightly.

"I like everyone more than that loser," I said and Alfred laughed.

"Do you like me more than your friends at school?" Alfred asked. I nodded. "But that's it…isn't it?" he asked me.

I managed to take my hand out of his hand and sighed. "Yes," I said, biting my lip hesitantly as he looked away.

"But you like me the best out of all of them," Alfred said, looking back at me, grinning. I blinked at him. "And you think I'm kinda beautiful. As long as you still think that, I'm prepared to be keep trying until you like me more."

"I can't," I snapped at him, startled at how furious I was. Couldn't he see how broken I still was? How furious? "I…just can't, Alfred," I said in a calmer voice, one with more sadness in it. I looked away.

"It's because of him, isn't it?" Alfred asked and my heart tugged at the thought of him. I looked away so Alfred couldn't see the look on my face.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about," I muttered under my breath.

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," Alfred said to me. I nodded but didn't turn back. I felt Alfred's arm go around my shoulders again. "But don't get all mad at me if I'm always around because I've got loads of time and I'm not giving up!" he added cheerfully.

"Don't waste it on me," I hissed at him, almost horrified at how pleased I was that he was willing to take me as I am – an irritable, broken boy.

"I want to, so I will," Alfred said with a beam. I opened my mouth to reply, before noticing Taylor stumble out of the men's room, looking absolutely terrible.

"Taylor!" I exclaimed, rushing towards him, staring at him with a mixture of horror and amusement. He was a complete mess – drenched in sweat, a greenish tone to his face and there was a bit of a gross smell coming off of him. I stepped back as he walked towards me.

"Can we leave now?" he whispered to me, his voice hoarse. I nodded and turned back to Alfred, only to see him brandish the now empty bucket of popcorn at Taylor.

"Use this if you're gonna hurl," Alfred said cheerfully, shoving the bucket into Taylor's stomach. Taylor used the remaining amount of strength he had to glare at Alfred and stumble towards his car.

"I should drive you home," I said, feeing guilty. As the son of the chief of police, I should be concerned at how Taylor will manage to get home when he's about to throw up so easily.

"I'm fine. I think I have the stomach flu that's going around – it'll clear in a while," he croaked. "I don't live too far away from the theatre anyways." And with that, he walked out of the theatre and into the night. As Alfred and I followed him out, I saw him stumble into his car and drive away as fast as he could.

A cool breeze flew past us and I shivered a little. "Are you cold?" Alfred asked me as we walked to his car. I shook my head as he raised his arm to put around me.

"I'm fine – let's just get home," I said, walking to the passenger seat and getting in. Alfred got into the driver's seat, putting an arm casually around me. I turned to scowl at him and ask him to take his arm off of me, before realizing that he was abnormally warm. "Are you sick?" I asked him, pushing his arm off of me and noting at how hot his body temperature was.

Alfred made a face as we drove out of the theatre and down the street. "I_ do_ feel kinda funny…" Alfred muttered.

"Do you want me to drive?" I offered. He shook his head.

"It's okay – I have to drive home anyways, my dad's expecting me," Alfred replied. We drove in silence for the rest of the way home, Alfred looking paler and paler.

"You should probably get home now," I said as I took off my seatbelt and opened the door. "You look terrible."

"Wait," Alfred said, grabbing my arm. I turned to look at him warily. "This is going to sound really fuckin' stupid but… I know you're depressed and shit 'cause of what happened but I just want you to know that I'm there for you and stuff…'kay?" he smiled at me weakly and then grimaced. "Christ, that sounded even stupider out loud," he muttered.

"I already know that you're there for me. You're a good pick-me-up for everything that's happened to me," I admitted, feeling uncomfortable at how Alfred's eyes lit up happily. I wished that he could've been my brother, and that I wouldn't have to deal with all this with him and be able to care about him and consider him a friend without worrying about hurting him.

"I feel sick," Alfred said suddenly, letting go of my arm. I leapt out of the car and barely slammed the door shut when Alfred pulled out of my driveway quickly.

"Call once you get home!" I yelled, waving goodbye as Alfred zoomed away.

My father seemed to have already gone to bed when I got him, a box of leftover pizza lying in the refrigerator. I took a few slices and heated them up, reading the newspaper in an attempt to distract myself from the thought of Alfred somehow getting into an accident on the way back home because he was too sick to drive safely. I was worrying myself sick; my stomach was churning uncomfortably and I had to force myself to scarf down the pizza.

After waiting for two hours and getting no call, I decided to phone Alfred's house to see if he got home, feeling anxious.

The phone rang for a good three minutes until someone finally answered.

"Hello?" a wary voice said on the other end.

"Hullo George, this is Arthur speaking," I said, trying to sound normal and not like I was so worried I could throw up.

"Yes?"

"Is Alfred home?"

"Yes, he is."

"…may I speak to him?"

"No. He's sick."

"Oh, well is it very bad? A friend of mine is also sick you see, and if you need any help I could always come over and-"

"We're fine. Stay at home."

I blinked at the click and sudden dial tone. He had hung up on me without as much as a farewell. That was rude. I decided that the next day I would stop by at Alfred's house after work and see if he was alright myself.

Unfortunately, a few hours later at 3 in the morning, as I lay on the washroom floor panting, I realized that I wouldn't be going anywhere for a while.

"Are you okay?" Albert asked, peering his head into the washroom. I wearily opened my right eye and stared at him. His nose wrinkled at the smell of vomit that was hanging over me and the room. "The stomach flu's finally gotten to you too, hasn't it?" he asked with pity in his voice. I groaned in response. "Do you want me to get anything for you?" he asked as I sat up to throw up more into the toilet.

I looked up at him as I flushed the toilet for the umpteenth time. "Call my boss and tell him I can't go to work because I'm sick," I said hoarsely.

Albert nodded. "Anything else?" he asked.

"Tell Taylor that I bloody hate him and hope he dies for giving me the stomach flu." And with that, I turned back to the toilet and threw up some more.

* * *

As much as I enjoyed spending all day lying in bed, I hated the constant nauseous feeling churning inside of me and nothing could distract me from it – reading, doing homework, _sleeping _– nothing!

Thankfully, the stomach flu was only lasted for a few more hours and by the next day, I could sit in the kitchen with my father and eat saltine crackers with no more nausea.

"Any plans today?" Albert asked me after washing his plate. I nibbled on my cracker and frowned in thought.

"I suppose I'll call Alfred – his father said he was sick too," I said, standing up.

"Send him my wishes," Albert said, walking out of the house to do some errands. I nodded and began dialling the Joneses' number.

"Hello?" a voice asked and I knew it was Alfred, though he sounded terrible.

"You sound awful," I said. His voice was hoarse and cracking.

"I feel like shit," Alfred agreed.

"Well, I felt better after a few hours so I'm sure you will too," I said reassuringly.

"You were sick too?" Alfred asked.

"Yes, I had the same thing you have now but I'm better now," I replied.

"…I don't think you had what I have," Alfred replied.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, feeling confused. Hadn't Alfred had the stomach flu too?

"I can't talk about it," Alfred replied.

"Do you want me to bring you something?" I asked, concerned. Alfred sounded like he was in a lot of pain. What was he sick with?

"No! You can't come here," he said abruptly, rather much like his father. "I have to go now," he said quickly.

"Okay then. Call me-"

"Yeah, yeah okay. Don't call me before I call you first."

I stared at the wall opposite to me as I heard the dial tone in my ear. I hung up the phone, wondering what was wrong with Alfred that made him leave so quickly without even saying goodbye.

If anything, that phone call made me worry over him even more.

* * *

**A/N: Oh hey, a faster update! This is what happens when I have an entire day that I can devote to nothing but writing~! :D **

**Review so I can write even faster? **


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven:

He didn't call.

I called again after I came back from school on Monday and George picked up. He told me that Alfred was sick in bed and couldn't come to the phone. I decided to pry into the matter a little more and asked him if he had taken Alfred to the doctor, which George confirmed. I didn't believe him.

I called again on Tuesday, and then on Wednesday but no one picked up. I decided to wait for the rest of the week to pass by before driving to Alfred's house, but was startled to see that no one was even home.

When I got back home, I found Albert deep in conversation with someone who I guessed was Gilbert's father. From what I could hear, Conrad had been in the hospital to do some testing about some chest problems. I could tell my father was getting concerned about his friend the way his forehead was wrinkling. I wanted to ask him to ask Conrad if he had heard anything about Alfred, but I couldn't find myself to, seeing my dad look so worried.

"Did you see Alfred?" my father asked me, covering the speaking end of the receiver as I walked into the room. I shook my head dejectedly.

"He wasn't at home," I replied. My father frowned and lifted his hand from the receiver.

"Say, did you hear anything about Alfred?" my father asked and I mouthed out a thanks to him as I grabbed an apple to munch on to distract me while my father talked. I watched him grunt replies to whatever Conrad was saying on the other line before finally hanging up.

He turned to look at me. "Alfred has mono – George took him to the hospital. Their phone's been down for a while so give him some time and let him call back when he can," he replied. I nodded and retreated to my room, frowning.

The most I know about mono was that it was called the kissing the disease, but since I knew who Alfred had affections for; I highly doubted he had kissed anyone too recently. I discovered that the illness could last for even more than a month and blanched at the thought of Alfred lying in bed for months all alone with no company. Surely George would let people visit Al so he wouldn't get lonely? I decided that I would give them a week before asking how Alfred was doing. If I still don't have a reply by then, I decided that I would surprise them with a visit, whether they liked it or not.

* * *

With Alfred no longer in my life to distract me, the nightmares came back just as scary as they were before. I woke up night after night screaming for no utter reason. I was reverting back to my old state – depressed and angry at the world. I found myself snapping at Kiku at school and moping around home. I tried to hide it from my father, but it was really getting out of hand. I hadn't realized how much I needed Alfred until he was out of my life. I obviously was not handling being alone again very well.

When Saturday came rolling around, I didn't have very high expectations that George or Alfred would answer the phone, which is why I was so surprised when I heard a voice on the other end.

"Hello?" George asked warily.

"Oh hello George," I said as cheerfully as I possibly could. "Is Alfred home? I've wanting to visit him after I heard he had mono and-"

"He doesn't have mono," George said quickly, cutting in. "It turns out it was just some virus. He's out with some friends for the entire day," George told me.

"Well that's good," I said, wondering what illness Alfred could possibly have had to make him seem like he had mono. Are the symptoms of mono similar to other sicknesses? I honestly didn't know. But there was something about George's tone that made me wonder if he was lying to me or not. I wondered which friends Alfred was out with, feeling a slight twinge of jealousy. Here I was in absolute disarray, all alone, and Alfred was hanging out with friends. Obviously he didn't mind being away from me.

"I have to get going now," George said, breaking into my thoughts.

"Yes of course. Thank you," I said and George hung up before I could say goodbye.

What to do now? I knew I had to get out of the house and do something, before I went into complete hermit mode. Visiting Alfred was out of the question, since both he and his father were obviously hiding something from me and it was almost as if they were avoiding me.

It was then I remembered the map and compass that Alfred had stashed in the glove compartment of my truck. I could go hiking – see if I could find the meadow. It was a rather stupid idea of me since we hadn't found it on our numerous hiking sprees, but it was worth a shot. I could keep hiking for ages without worrying that I was slowly Alfred down. It was perfect.

I ran to my room to dress into more hiking appropriate clothing and went into my truck, pausing momentarily to leave a note for Albert, informing him where I was going.

I drove down the highway, trying to not think of Alfred and trying not to remember the very first time _he_ had shown me the meadow, how we had driven along the highway with him fiddling with my radio, his golden hair shimmering in the light breeze of the open window.

Once at the ending of the road, I spent a few minutes trying to remember the direction Alfred and I had gone and after figuring out how to use the damn compass, I set off into the woods alone.

It was eerie, walking through the trees and shrubs devoid of _his_ cheerful laugh or Alfred's nonstop talking. The sense of loneliness was beginning to settle in, so I tried to amuse myself by whistling. When that didn't work, I imagined that there were fairies hovering above my head, watching my every move with wonder and amusement. This distraction proved to be much more effective, and I amused myself with giving them names and personalities. After at least three hours of hiking, I was so absorbed in hiking and daydreaming that I barely realized I had stumbled onto the meadow until I finally stopped seeing trees blocking my path.

The meadow was just as beautiful as I remembered it, and I shivered as I recalled everything that had happened there. I could almost feel his lips upon mine again – but that wasn't what I was here for. I waited for the voice to show up.

It didn't.

I was furious. The one place that _he_ and I had a strong connection to – the place where we kissed! – and there was no memory of him here? It was preposterous. I swore and punched a nearby tree, swearing some more as my knuckles were torn from the tree's rough bark. I had wasted a good three or four hours on trying to find this place and when I finally did, there was nothing here. It was a good thing Alfred wasn't here – he didn't have to see my rather immature tantrum. A few minutes after I had quieted down to just a scowl, a figure came from the other end of the meadow, taking me by surprise…then confusion. The figure was very familiar, and the sight of him cast shivers down my side.

What was Li doing here?

"Li?" I called out recklessly – a stupid move on my part.

Li stopped walking and turned at the sound of my voice, a thick eyebrow raising the only indication of a reaction. I now remembered how the vampire rarely ever showed facial expressions and the fact I could recall something from my past without pain gave me hope. Maybe Li heard something from the Greek clan about…_him_?

"Arthur?" he asked, cocking his head to the side. I nodded, stepping into the clearing and giving him a weak smile. I didn't completely trust the man, despite the fact that he had denounced his carnivorous ways to live with the Greek clan. There was something off about him but I couldn't place what.

"I thought you were in Greece," I asked him, staring at his perfect face, trying to figure out what it was about him that made me feel uneasy near him.

He nodded slowly, watching me curiously. "I did. But I didn't expect to see the Paye family house empty," he told me. I fought to keep my expression neutral. I didn't want Li to know how much it hurt hearing the name again.

"They moved on," I managed to say, shrugging as casually as I could.

"I see," Li said and it was at that moment that I realized what was off about him. The coven in Greece were like…the Payes. They were vegetarian – they drank animal blood. And while I didn't know much about how vampirism worked, I knew that while vegetarian vampires had the same eye colour that they had in their past life, carnivorous vampire had hints of red in theirs. And there were hints of red in Li's eyes. That meant he had drunk human blood a while ago. I took an involuntary step backwards and Li's eyes narrowed, staring at me.

"So, do they visit you often?" he asked, not moving but tensing his body as though he was preparing to move forwards.

_Lie to him_ the voice said in my mind, taking me almost by surprise.

"Loads," I said quickly, my voice cracking. "It always seems like ages for me but it really is every other month – I think they should be coming soon. It _is_ the 13th, isn't it?" I said as casually as I could, jamming my hands into my pockets and forcing a smile at Li.

"The house smelled like they had been gone for a while," Li told me.

"Well they normally don't stay in the house when they visit – the town thinks they've moved away so whenever they're in town they stay at my house to make it seem like they were just staying for a few nights or so," I replied. Li didn't look convinced.

_You need to lie better than that, Arthur_ the voice whispered to me.

"I'll tell Roderich when they come that they missed you. I'm sure he'll be disappointed that he didn't get to talk to you – he did mention that he had been wondering how were you faring in Greece," I said. "I suppose I'll have to tell Francis too," I said, almost stumbling on _his_ name. "Francis is a bit touchy regarding the whole Yao fiasco…" I said, grinning apologetically at him.

"Does he?" Li asked me, sounded rather amused…but disbelieving.

I swallowed thickly and nodded. "Quite. So, how are things working out in Greece? Have you been staying with the Greek clan that Roderich knows?" I asked, my heart racing. I had to get out of here. But how?

Li paused to answer my question. "Elise and Heracles are friendly. It took me a while to get used to all the cats and how Elise likes making chocolate for their human neighbours. Sadiq has been a while much longer than the others, so he had lots of fascinating stories to tell me. Gupta was very quiet, but he seemed very nice too. I liked Andrea the best," Li added, smiling slightly. I wondered who Andrea was.

"That's wonderful," I said lightly.

"Though, it was hard to drink animal blood," Li continued, staring at my face to see my reaction. I fought to keep my face as neutral as his was. "I found myself…cheating."

"Ludwig sometimes has those problems too – but Feliciano normally keeps him in line," I said lightly.

"That is good," Li said, stepping forwards. I took a step backwards.

"Did you see Yong Soo again?" I asked quickly as Li stared at my sudden movement. I didn't really want to think of the other vampire, who had hunted me down alongside Yao but I was desperate for something to distract Li.

Li smirked suddenly at the question. "Indeed. He's…changed since I last since I last saw him. He won't be pleased that I've met you."

"He won't?" I asked, feeling my heart race even faster. Li looked away before answering and I used this opportunity to take more steps backwards until I was in the protection of the trees. His eyes flicked back to me and the smirk grew.

"He wanted to kill you. He won't be pleased that I've beaten him to it," Li said, taking a step forwards. My heart sunk. "He's very mad at you, Arthur," he told me.

"M-me? Why?" I stammered, surprised. I hardly knew Yong Soo – barely remembered him. Why would he be mad at me?

"When Yao transformed him, it was to give himself a brother," Li told me. "Of course, Yong Soo didn't see it that way. He worshiped Yao, loved him more than a brother should love the other. While I don't know what Yao thought of it, I knew that Yong Soo was devoted to the man and…when your Francis killed him, Yong Soo was furious."

Even though I was about to die, something about hearing Francis being _mine_ when he really wasn't anymore still hurt inside.

"I suppose its part of Yong Soo's weird logic but he would very much like to kill you – a lover for a lover. He wants Francis to feel the pain he had felt when Yao died. I didn't expect it to be so easy to find you. I suppose Yong Soo's revenge won't be too sweet – if I can find you alone in a forest, obviously your Francis didn't care enough to keep you protected," Li said, watching my reaction. His words hit me like a punch and I forced myself to pretend like it didn't hurt me, reminding me of what _he_ had told me before leaving me so long ago. "Yong Soo will be very disappointed that he didn't get to you first, regardless," Li continued.

"Why don't you wait for him?" I said, taking another step back.

"Well, you've found me a bad moment, Arthur," Li said smoothly. "I am not here under Yong Soo's commands. I am hunting. It's been a very long time since I've drunken blood, and you smell very good," he praised, his smirk growing. He looked like a beautiful demon, the final face that I was going to see before my death.

_Threaten him_ the voice told me, sounding worried. I didn't pause to wonder how a feeble human like me would be able to scare an ancient vampire like Li.

"He'll know that it was you," I said, glaring at Li. "He won't let you get away with this."

"By the time he comes back – _if_ he comes back – your body will be nothing more than soil on the ground," Li replied, smiling evilly. I took another hurried step backwards in fear. "This is nothing against you, Arthur – I assure you. I'm just thirsty."

_Beg_ the voice urged me.

"Please don't do this," I said, my voice shaking.

"I have to. You should be thankful that it's me who found you," Li informed me.

"Oh really?" I asked, a crack in my voice. I thought back to when I faced Yao. How was it that I had been so brave then, but now I was scared beyond measure? Was it because I had chosen death that time, and now it was coming to me by surprise?

"Indeed. If you knew that Yong Soo wanted to do to you…" Li broke off, his voice sounding disgusted. "If you knew what Yong Soo has planned for you, you would be at my feet, begging me to kill you instead," he told me.

Horror filled my body.

_Francis_ I thought, my eyes never leaving Li as he smiled and smelled the air as a cool breeze flew past me towards him. _Francis, please_. I couldn't stop his name from my mind. What was the point? I was going to die anyways. The pain his name was giving me would be nothing compared to death. _Francis I love you _I found myself thinking. This would be the end.

Li blinked, looking the other way in surprise. My eyes darted to the direction he was looking at, wondering what it was.

"This can't be," Li murmured – almost too quiet for me to hear. Then, in a move that surprised me, he began to retreat, his eyes looking worried.

That's when I saw it – coming out of the forest was a large…_thing_. It was as big as a bear, but more wolf-like in appearance. Suddenly, I could hear Kiku's voice along with the man's voice from the grocery store, going on about how they had seen large bear-like creatures in the forest. The thing stared at Li and growled, large pointy teeth glinting in the sunlight.

_Don't move_ Francis cautioned me and I watched in horror as more of these bear-like things emerged, one of them a snowy white – another, with golden fur. Did wolves even have colouring like this? There were at least five or seven. I kept my eyes on Li, watching his reaction.

He looked terrified as the wolves closed in. I didn't understand now – how could these animals prove to be a match for a vampire?

I stifled a yell as I saw another golden wolf approached Li, almost brushing past me. I gulped and it turned to look at me. I was oddly reminded of Alfred, and I suddenly was glad that he wasn't there with me. He didn't have to be mauled by a group of wolves like I was going to be.

The wolf closest to Li – the one I presumed to be the leader – growled and the one that had been watching me turned back to face Li, all of them advancing closer. I watched in surprise as Li turned and ran, almost a blur as he raced into the forest.

He was _running_? I couldn't believe it. I watched as the wolves chased after him, their snarls so loud I had to cover my ears.

In a matter of seconds, I was alone again. I turned to run the other way back to my truck, not wanting to stay any longer in case those wolves decided to go for me instead. I ran as fast as I could, stumbling and falling along the way, cutting my arms and face as branches hit me. I didn't bother trying to stop the bleeding – I had to get out of there, fast.

I managed to get back to my truck in a short span of time. I would've marvelled at how fast I had gone, but I wanted to get home and away from the forest as fast as I could. When I got home I realized that Albert was already home.

"How was…" Albert froze when he saw my face and my tattered clothes. I didn't answer him, pausing to lock the locks, still out of breath from running. "What happened to you?" he asked me, grabbing me by the arm as I swayed on the spot dizzily.

"I saw the bear thing," I gasped out, watching as Albert paled. "There are at least five of them or something. They're as big as bears…but they look like wolves – silvery white or almost a golden-brownish colour…"

Albert helped me into the kitchen, sitting me down on the chair. He grabbed a nearby glass and filled it with water for me. I drank it eagerly, leaning against the back of the seat wearily.

"Did they see you?" he asked me urgently, sitting across the table from me. I shook my head.

"They didn't – they just ran the other way. I only saw them for a few seconds," I told him, keeping out the part about Li.

"I don't want you to go hiking anymore," my father told me and I shook my head.

"I'm never going hiking again," I replied.

Albert stood up to inform the station of what happened. In the meantime, I decided that I would go to sleep.

"Wait – Arthur," Albert said, stopping me.

"Yes?" I asked him, pausing at the entrance to the kitchen.

"Is Alfred still sick with mono?" he asked me.

I shook my head. "George said that it had been some other virus, and that he went to the movies," I told him.

Albert frowned. "I see," he said.

"Why, did you see him?" I asked him, feeling hopeful.

"I did – but I don't think he saw me. He was arguing with one of the other boys – I'm not sure with one. He looks so different – and taller too! The kid honestly never stops growing," he said, shaking his head.

I nodded at what my father said and made my way upstairs, wondering if Alfred had been arguing with Ari… or Berwald? I shrugged off my clothing and cleaned the wounds on my face and arms, falling into my bed in exhaustion. I thought about what Li had said about Yong Soo, and I felt goosebumps appear on my arms.

When I had first seen Yong Soo, he didn't seem to be too dangerous, but Li said that Yong Soo had changed. I prayed to God that maybe – just _maybe_ – the wolves had managed to catch up to Li and ripped him apart with those massive teeth. If they managed to kill Li, which would mean that Li wouldn't be able to tell Yong Soo that I was here alone without the protection of the Paye family. He would still think that I was safe and wouldn't dare approach. It was a rather stupid idea, as how could a group of wolves beat a super strong vampire, be able to rip into his hard, touch skin? It was impossible. But I still held to that hope, feeling terror wash over me as I recalled what Li told me.

_If you knew what Yong Soo has planned for you, you would be at my feet, begging me to kill you instead_

I shuddered, and my final thought before drifting off into a dreamless sleep was the thought of Yong Soo with piercing red, furious eyes and a demonic smirk sauntering forwards to kill me.

* * *

**A/N: I hate math. Just thought I'd let y'all know. It's seeping away my writing time, urgh. I'm so bad at it too T_T" **

**I wrote Arthur's confrontation with Li while listening to Yael Naim's cover of Toxic [youtube it, it's so amazingly eerie]. In my head, in this story, after Yao's death, Yong Soo cracked. I think his feelings for Yao were one-sided in the aspect that Yao never really felt affection for anyone but Yong Soo was in love with him to the point that when he died he wanted revenge. That's the only way I can explain how someone so cheerful can be the villain xD Maybe after I finish writing this series I'll write a one-shot about how they met or something, I dunno. **

**I finally chose Conrad as Germania's name. Thanks, Yuu13! ^^ **

**As mentioned by Li, the Greek clan is pretty much Belgium [Elise], Turkey [Sadiq], Greece [Heracles], Egypt [Gupta], and Portugal [Andrea]. I haven't really thought of a proper name - or decided on a gender for Portugal, so it's up in the air. Andrea's a unisex Portuguese name, so you can pretend that Andrea's a dude or a chick, depending on your preference. Oh and yes, Li and Andrea are an implied pairing in this. Talk about crack pairings, eh? **

**Don't forget to review~!**


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve:

I could tell Albert was getting worried about me. The nightmares had returned and I knew I was slipping back into my post-breakup state – snapping at everyone, moping all the time – and I didn't even know how to stop it.

It was all Alfred's fault. The idiot still hadn't called and it had already been three weeks since the last time I last saw him. Li's threat still rung clearly in my mind, and it was the reason why I hadn't gone driving down to Riverside and dragged Alfred out of his house and gave him a piece of my mind. Li must've outrun those wolf-things and probably told Yong Soo about me and were probably watching me, waiting because they still thought _he_ would be coming back and I was still under his protection. As much of an ass Alfred was, I didn't want to get him involved in this. This was my problem and I didn't want anyone else dragged into it.

Exactly three weeks from the Friday when we went to the movies, I forced my father to call Conrad Beilschmidt yet again to see if the situation at the Jones house had changed at all. Albert reported to me that while Conrad _had_ George during a City Council meeting, Gilbert had told his father that Alfred had been avoiding him and Mathias and that Alfred seemed to have patched up whatever had been going on between him and Ari.

There was something in what was said that I couldn't quite place until I was driving home from school the Monday after the phone call.

Alfred was avoiding his friends but he was back with Ari? Hadn't Ari avoided his friends when…

I had to pull off the road, I was so shocked. The answer was so clear; I couldn't believe that I hadn't realized it earlier.

Berwald. Berwald had finally gotten to Alfred, the way he had gotten to Ari.

Maybe Alfred wasn't avoiding Gilbert, Mathias and I on purpose. Maybe Berwald was forcing him to!

I had to stop them – though, I admit, I had no idea how I would and all the plans I thought up of sounded pretty stupid.

Before I could do anything, I decided to tell my father in case I actually planned on going to the Jones house and talk to Alfred. If Li and Yong Soo got to me before I got to Alfred, at least Albert would have somewhere to start looking when I didn't come back home.

"What is it, Arthur?" my father asked when I called him. He sounded wary; worried. I suppose me calling him must've worried him somewhat.

"I think I'm going to go pay Alfred a visit," I told him; leaving out the part about stopping Berwald in whatever dastardly plot he was committing. My father adored Berwald – ever since Berwald had found me in the forest, vulnerable and weak, Albert had always had a respect and admiration for him. My father would not believe any claims I made on Berwald.

"Well, be careful," my father said, sounding strained. "There's been an attack and we think that those giant wolves are the cause of it."

I let in a sharp intake of breath. Did Li spare those wolves? How did they survive an encounter with a werewolf?

"An attack?" I asked.

"There were those tracks that everyone's been seeing and…there was some blood this time. We didn't find a body, but I'm sure we will too – unless the wolves disposed of it." I could practically hear the shudder in his voice. But I frowned as I processed what he told me. Blood? So the wolves _had_ been hurt – but not killed. I suppose Li decided the wolves were not worth his time and left them injured.

"I have to go now, Arthur. I'd prefer it if you don't go up to Riverside until this is resolved," my father said and we hung up, me feeling sufficiently annoyed, reminded again of why I had called in the first place.

I stared at the cell phone in the palm of my hand and fiddled with it absently as I thought of what to do next. I finally sighed and put it down, putting my truck back into ignition. I pulled back into the road and drove to the grocery store to do my shift. At least I didn't have to worry about seeing Taylor there. He was missing his shift to go out with some friends. I'd be able to contemplate my next steps regarding saving Alfred in silence.

As I got out of my truck and made my way to the entrance to the grocery store, a familiar person walked out of it. When we spotted each other, we froze in place, staring at each other.

"…Mathias?" I asked, surprised to see him. I hadn't realized it, but it had been a long time since I last saw him and he seemed to have gotten even taller and more muscular. What the hell were they feeding those kids over at Riverside? They all seemed to grow to look like warriors! It wasn't fair.

"Arthur?" he asked, blinking – evidently just as surprised as I was. He broke into a giant smile, leaping forwards and pulling me into a strong one-armed hug. "Man I haven't seen you in _ages_! You were always with-" and just like that, the smile faltered, just a bit. "It's been a while," Mathias repeated, his smile looking more forced than natural.

"You haven't talked to Alfred either, have you?" I asked him and the smile faded completely.

Mathias sighed, shaking his head, his wild mass of blonde hair moving along with the motion. "It's like what happened with Ari all over again! It's pissing me and Gilbert off – since when did Alfred think he was too big for us?" Mathias asked, an edge in his voice. He was clearly _very_ mad still about Alfred's sudden rejection.

"I think it has something to do with Berwald," I told him and Mathias snorted, rolling his eyes.

"Of course it does – the dude's been taking as many people as he can into his stupid pussy gang since last year. First Ari, now Alfred – now he's trying to ask _me_ to join. Like I even want to join his suck-ass group," Mathias growled. A silence fell upon us as I took in what Mathias said and as he tried to compose himself. "I should get going – I gotta catch the last bus to Riverside so I'm not stuck here. This is what happens when your mother forces you to come all the way over here to get some special type of tomato sauce for some recipe she's been dying to try out," Mathias said, rolling his eyes.

"I'll drop you off," I offered quickly. Maybe I'd spot Alfred on the way. I gave up worrying about Li and Yong Soo following me. Now that I saw Mathias and how he felt about Alfred's sudden change the urge to talk to him grew. I didn't feel like going to work anyways – I could always call in later and give them an excuse as to why I couldn't make it.

Mathias grinned, moving his bag of groceries onto his other hand. "Thanks man – I'll pay you back some other time or something," he said as he climbed into the passenger seat, reminding me a lot of Alfred, the way he leaned into the seat and drummed his fingers on the window ledge.

I rolled my eyes, pulling out of the parking lot and into the road, Mathias and I talking casually about school, movies and trying very hard to not venture into any subject that would remind us of Alfred. From what I gathered, Mathias was the oldest of their quartet – older than me by a year, Gilbert following, the same age as me, then Alfred at 16, then Ari at 15. Even though Mathias refused to mention them, I figured the four had known each other since they were babies and just grew up together. I felt a flash of pity for the boy sitting across from me. He may be loud, obnoxious, and just as annoying as Gilbert, but he clearly was hurting that two of his childhood friends would avoid him.

I dropped Mathias off as his house, waving him goodbye as I pulled out of his driveway and down the road. I knew that now that I was alone, I was more vulnerable and easier to attack, so I turned up my radio to help me calm down. I settled for a station that played soft alternative rock and turned down the road, fully knowing that by taking this route I would be passing Alfred's house. Most probably it would be empty, but it couldn't hurt to try.

As I saw the familiar Jones house come closer and closer as I drove, I noticed a lone figure outside of it and my heart almost stopped beating. I drove a little faster and then cut the engine, jumping out of the truck and towards them when I got closer.

"Alfred?" I asked when I finally got close enough. Alfred looked up and I took a step back, horrified.

Alfred had changed. Gone was the messy, golden hair with the one strand that stuck out – the strand Alfred had teasingly called Nantucket because the hair had first started sticking out when he went to Nantucket for the summer a few years ago. Gone were the easy, comfortable smile and the cheerful aura. Gone were the twinkling sky blue eyes. Instead, the Alfred standing in front of me had a complete buzz-cut, a soft fuzzy layer of hair covering his head. This new Alfred had no smile, his eyes staring at me with alarming hostility. It was like being in the forest again and seeing those wolves – not sure if they would attack me, but not sure if they wouldn't.

"A-Alfred?" I asked again, trying to look like his sudden change didn't catch me off-guard.

"What do you want?" he asked – more like _growled_, his eyes boring holes into me.

"I wanted to talk to you," I said, wondering where all that fury and determination to give him a piece of my mind had gone.

Alfred quickly looked to his right; and I did too, noticing that Berwald and the rest of his gang were standing under Alfred's porch, all of them except for Miguel [the slightly shorter half-Cuban boy who Alfred mentioned completely hated him] looking completely identical. Hell, even Miguel had the same muscle structure, haircut, intense eyes and stance. They could've been brothers. I almost didn't recognize Ari, only recognizing him due to his hair being fairer compared to the others. My eyes locked with Berwald's and I suddenly felt furious, turning back to Alfred. He was still glaring at me.

"You can talk," he said, and I felt a flash of anger at how he made it seem like he was giving me permission to talk, like I was inferior to him.

"Alone," I growled, and I glared at him with just as much intensity as he was glaring at me with.

Alfred turned to glance at Berwald, and I almost missed the discreet little nod from the taller boy. Berwald turned to walk into the Jones house and everyone filed in like they were mindless sheep following their leader. Had Alfred really joined this group?

Once the others were gone, Alfred's expression softened – but just by a little.

"Are you going to talk or not?" I asked him, my voice still harsh. It was infuriating – I just didn't get _why_ Alfred would join the very gang that he confided at hating. It was stupid and I wanted to know the truth.

Alfred turned away from me, walking towards a group of trees near his house – a bit of a mini forest. I took that as my sign to follow him, noting that the normally clumsy Alfred would've stomped down the pathway loudly and that this new Alfred walked with an air of confidence and grace, almost cat-like as he walked down the path. I nearly tripped on a root as I watched him walk; he had joined so much. The mood was almost eerie; it was insanely similar to what the mood had been when _he_ had left. I swallowed quickly as I felt a wave of hurt pass through me. Alfred turned around to face me once we had gotten far enough away from his house. Just looking at his face and not even recognizing my old best friend made me angry again.

"Let's get this over with," Alfred said. His voice was deeper, huskier than it used to be. Was he on steroids on something? Puberty couldn't have worked _that_ fast.

"Yes, let's," I said, crossing my arms and fixing him with a stare.

"It isn't what you think," Alfred told me. I blinked at him. "I was completely wrong. This…" he sighed, scratching the top of his head. "I can't tell you any more," he told me.

I felt a flash of anger go through me. "I thought we were friends," I growled.

"We were," Alfred agreed. Were.

"But you don't want to be friends anymore," I said emotionlessly, not believing it. Alfred looked away, his hands shaking. He seemed to be furious or upset – I couldn't tell. "This is thanks to Berwald, isn't it?" I asked.

"Berwald's not bad," Alfred said quickly, looking at me. "He's been helping me."

"And now you two are buddies. It's a miracle," I said sarcastically. Alfred turned away from me, shaking even more. He began to pace in front of me. "Why can't you tell me what's really happening?" I asked him. "I could help you."

"No one can help me now," Alfred replied agitatedly.

"What did he _do_ to you?" I asked, watching Alfred go through what looked like a breakdown in front of me. I reached my hand out instinctively and Alfred slapped away with more force than was necessary.

"D-don't touch me!" Alfred exclaimed, taking a step back, shaking harder.

"What – is whatever Berwald gave you contagious?" I asked him sarcastically.

"STOP SAYING THOSE THINGS ABOUT HIM!" Alfred roared and I took a step back, surprised by the intensity in his voice. "This isn't Berwald's fault," Alfred added quickly, anger in his eyes.

"Than who's fault is it?" I demanded.

Alfred smirked. "You wouldn't want to know the answer," he told me.

"Oh really? Try me," I growled, angry at his all-knowing smirk.

"You want to know what happened to me? Why I'm like this? It's all thanks to those stupid blood-sucking _vampires_ that you love so much!" Alfred growled.

I froze in my spot. I went back to the day when we had first met, when Alfred had laughed off the legend of vampires existing, claiming it was nothing more than a stupid little story. Where had that disbelief gone?

"I don't understand you," I said, staring at him.

"The _Payes_," Alfred said, elongating the name. He stared at me intensely to see my reaction. I fought to keep the pain off of my face. "I can see what it does to you whenever you hear their name," he informed me.

How did Alfred know about them? Their true identity was their best kept secret and I had been the only human to have known about it. How could Alfred have found out about them? And how was that related to what was going through him? I didn't understand it.

"What about them? How are they do blame? They never did anything," I told him, confusion breaking through my angry voice.

And just like that, Alfred was right at my face, the fury on his face stronger than it had been before. "For existing," he growled, his voice sending a shiver down my spine.

_Don't push him_, Francis's voice whispered into my ear. After first hearing Francis's name from Li, I couldn't stop it from appearing in my mind – despite trying so hard to ignore it.

Alfred waited for my response, shaking with anger.

Alfred was furious, yes, but why was the Francis hallucination here? Was my subconscious under the impression that I was in danger? From _Alfred_?

"You're being stupid," I said out loud to both the voice and to Alfred.

"Fine then," Alfred said, pushing past me violently, stomping away. "I don't care – it's not like you can do anything. The damage's been done."

"WHAT FUCKING DAMAGE?" I screamed, unable to take it anymore. "I'M SICK AND TIRED OF YOUR CRYPTIC ANSWERS, ALFRED. ANSWER ME PROPERLY!" my throat ached from the force in my voice, but I didn't care. Alfred didn't even flinch, glaring at me.

"I have nothing else to say to you," Alfred replied coldly, continuing to walk away from me.

"I saw Mathias today," I called out. "Do you remember him? Let's see – he was one of your fucking _best friends_ before you stopped talking to him and Gilbert. Did you know how _upset_ they are right fucking now?" I called out. I watched as Alfred froze.

He turned back to look at me. "Mathias?" he said weakly, looking pained. He grabbed a tree for support.

"He's worried that he's the next one – and he's fucking pissed off. We all are," I told him.

"He shouldn't," Alfred growled, his muscles tightening as he gripped a random tree branch. Alfred was turning a bizarre shade of red and purple, looking angrier and angrier by the second. "He shouldn't worry – this shouldn't even fucking be happening anyways – IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE!" he roared, punching the tree in anger. My jaw dropped as the rather old, large tree made a cracking sound. Alfred had nearly punched a giant tree down to the ground.

Alfred and I stared at the tree in horror. Alfred looked at me quickly and began to back away. "I have to get back," he said, turning away.

"Back to Berwald," I called out with contempt.

"If you want to look at it like that, then sure," Alfred replied, he jogged away from me.

"We haven't finished talking yet!" I yelled at him, my throat aching from the amount of yelling I was doing. I hadn't yelled so much since…the breakup.

"Go away," Alfred cried out finally, whirling around to face me one last time. "Just leave! I can't hang out with you anymore. We can't be friends." The words were so childish, so juvenile, yet they hit me like a tidal wave.

"A-Alfred?" I asked, the anger replaced with hurt. What did I do? I didn't understand at all. What did the Payes had to do with this? Why wasn't Berwald the bad guy? Why shouldn't Mathias be worried about being next to turn into…_this_?

"Goodbye, Arthur," Alfred said in a hard voice, turning away and running into the house. I stared after him. I wanted to run after him and rip him into little shreds, but I couldn't. My mind automatically began giving me excuses. _It's not so bad! It's not as bad as the other time,_ it chirped at me with fake cheer as I finally turned away from the house and walked back into my truck. I was fully aware of the lone tear streaking down my face but I didn't bother with it, driving back home. I was done caring about Alfred. If Alfred wanted to be the biggest fucking asshole on the face of the planet and ignore his true friends for a bunch of lies that Berwald was feeding him, then I wanted nothing to do with him. He was annoying anyways. And his laugh was really obnoxious.

Albert was waiting for me when I got home. "George called and said you went up to visit," he informed me. I thought he would be mad, but there was worry on his face. "He said you and Alfred got into a fight," he told me.

"Alfred doesn't want to be my friend anymore," I said coolly, slamming my truck's door loudly.

"Who told you that?" Albert asked, blinking.

"He did. Berwald told him to say that," I replied.

"Did he honestly—"

"I don't want to talk about it," I growled, pushing past him. I saw a glimpse of his face and his face had morphed into a look of horror. I had reverted completely go the person I had been post-breakup.

I walked into the washroom for a quick shower, letting the hot water wash over me. When I came back out, I heard yelling coming from downstairs. I tiptoed down to hear who Albert was yelling at.

"George, do _not_ tell me that it was my son that's the cause for this!" Albert said, his voice sounding colder than I had ever heard it. "You didn't see the look on his face when he came home – he says that Alfred no longer wants to be friends with because _Berwald_ told him to – no I think I _do_ know my son very well, thank you very much." Albert looked furious – there was anger in his eyes and I could suddenly see the resemblance between us. "I swear to God, George, if Berwald sends Arthur back into a depression thanks to Alfred than both of them are going to be in a lot of trouble. You're my friend, but this is too much."

I didn't bother listening anymore. So George was going to claim that I was leading Alfred on, when I never did anything of the sort. That's fine, if he wanted to believe such a stupid lie than so be it. I went back upstairs and got ready for bed, almost welcoming the nightmares. The terror would be a nice change from this constant hurt. It's like the moment I get close with someone; they always pull away in the worst way possible. I almost didn't even care anymore – what was the point? It would be better if I just went numb forever. That way I wouldn't be able to gain feelings for people and if they leave it wouldn't hurt. I could cope being alone forever. I spent most of my life like that anyways.

I was already fast asleep when I woke up early in the morning – far too dark to be an appropriate time to be waking up at. I blinked my eyes in confusion, surprised I hadn't slipped into a nightmare, and wondering what the bloody hell had woken me up.

I didn't have to keep guessing for long. I heard a soft scratching at my window. I couldn't see out of it for the curtains were closed but it sounded like fingernails against glass.

I sleepily walked to the window, too tired to even realize how dangerous that could possibly be and pulled the curtains open.

A giant figure stared back at me.

I had to fight back a yell.

* * *

**A/N: I swear, in this chapter and the next it's like Arthur's going through some weird pms-y mood swings. Makes sense, since I like describing him as a boy on constant PMS in other stories 8D**

**You're gonna hate me for the cliffhanger, aren't you? **

**Review and maybe I'll shoot the next chapter out even faster ;D**


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen:

"Alfred?" I hissed, pulling the window open and staring at him.

"Finally," Alfred said, climbing into my bedroom. "I was waiting out there forever and-"

"Get out," I snarled. Alfred blinked at me.

"But I'm here to say sorry!" Alfred protested as I used all my strength to push him backwards the window. I didn't even care if he fell; I hoped he would break something in his fall.

"Apology not bloody accepted," I growled, pushing him harder. It was rather uncomfortable pushing him; he was shirtless and I did _not_ want to put my hands on his bare skin like this.

Alfred grabbed my hands with his larger ones and dragged me back to my bed.

"I'm really, really sorry, Arthur," he said, sounding very sincere.

"That's lovely," I said sarcastically. "Now leave."

"No please Artie," Alfred said desperately, and he almost sounded like the old Alfred – just for a second though. "I can't tell you what's wrong with me because…you…haven't you ever had a secret that you had to keep because it was about someone else and you couldn't tell anyone? Not Albert, not your mom – no one?" Alfred asked me. "You're too loyal to whoever that secret's about to tell anyone?"

I blinked, anger temporarily forgotten from the sudden question, thinking about the Payes. "Yes…" I said slowly, trying to keep the angry look on my face and trying to pull my hands away from Alfred's. Alfred nodded frantically and held onto them harder, looking desperate.

"It's like that. I want to tell you – but I can't. It's really fucking annoying, you know? It's so stupid too – I told you everything a long time ago too!" Alfred said in exasperation. "Do you remember when we first met and I told you all those-" He made a sudden choking noise and his mouth gaped open comically.

"All those legends?" I asked. He nodded mutely, watching as I thought back to them. I remembered the ones about the 'cold ones' as clear as day, but I was sure they weren't the ones Alfred was talking about.

"Just think about them, okay?" Alfred said, finally let go of my hands. "You'll have the answer if you just remember them. I can't say anymore – apparently it stops me from spilling the secret," he said with a dark laugh.

"_What_ does?" I demanded, annoyed. I did _not_ appreciate being woken up in the middle of night, only to be told cryptic answers. It was too early for me to think.

"I can't tell you that until you remember that legend I told you," Alfred replied. We fell into a silence as I stared at my hands, trying to recall everything that happened. I remember Laurent taunting me about Francis, only to have Berwald mention that his family wasn't allowed in Riverside, prompting me to ask Alfred about the reason why…

"Can I ask you a question, Artie?" Alfred asked, breaking into my thoughts.

"Don't call me that," I snapped at him. "And what?"

"When I told you that vampire story," I tried not to flinch, "was that the first time you ever considered it? Like, did I tell you what they were or did you already know?"

I stared at him. What happened to him thinking the legends were just stupid stories? I didn't reply.

Alfred gave me a sad smile. "See? Loyalty. That's why I can't tell you. You have no idea how closely found I am to them…" he murmured the last bit to himself.

"This is Berwald's doing, isn't it?" I asked angrily; suddenly mad at how Berwald had turned Alfred into this angry, regretful, _different_ person.

Alfred blinked. "No, it isn't. I can't explain it, Arthur."

"I hate them," I muttered.

Alfred looked surprised. "Don't hate them!" he protested earnestly. "Berwald's really cool actually – he's really funny and his fiancé Tino makes really good food and Lars is really cool too but Tino always has to tell him not to smoke joints in the house and Miguel's alright but he can be a total ass – I think it's because I'm almost teasing him for being short and me and Ari have always been buds and…yeah," he ended pathetically. "They're really cool. You can't hate them when you meet them. I feel pretty bad for how much I hated Berwald – he's the nicest out of all of them, even though he doesn't seem like it," Alfred told me.

"I find that hard to believe," I replied. "Why won't he let you see me?"

"It's dangerous," Alfred replied and I stared at him. Did he know about Li and Yong Soo? Or was he talking about something completely different? I noticed his hands had begun shaking again. "I have to go now," he said, standing up.

"Are you going to go back to ignoring my existence?" I asked him as he walked towards the window.

Alfred looked ashamed. "I'm really sorry about that – I didn't know how to break ties off with you so quickly – it'd too dangerous for you to be around us and I thought it would be better if you completely hated me… fuck, I'm such a fail. I told you after the movies that I'd always be there for you…I'm really sorry, man," Alfred said, raising a hand up to do what I thought was run his hand through his hair before realizing he no longer had the longish hair to do that. He settled for scratching it awkwardly as he waited for a response.

"You're making me bloody bipolar," I growled at him. It was true – I had gone from furious, to upset, to hurt, to numb, to angry, to confused, to…normal? Was it even possible for me to feel normal?

Alfred laughed, almost looking like his old self again. "I have to go now in case Berwald finds out where I am and freaks. Well, it'll probably be Miguel or something who freaks since Berwald isn't the freaking type but you get what I mean," Alfred said, walking towards the window. No, I didn't get what he meant by I didn't push it. I highly doubted Alfred would give me a non-cryptic answer anyways. "I really hope you figure out what I'm trying to tell you," Alfred said, turning around to face me again. "Come and tell me once you do," he added.

As Alfred began to step out of my window, I realized with some horror what he was trying to do. "Are you trying to break a bone?" I hissed as he sat on the window ledge, his feet swinging outside.

"Don't worry – I won't!" Alfred said breezily, pushing himself off of the window and just like that – he was gone. I ran to the window just in time to see him wave and run into the night, almost a blur.

Closing my window shut I slunk back into bed, feeling exhaustion hit me. I didn't fight the feeling and let sleep wash over me again. This time, I did have a dream. Well, more of a flashback, really. And Alfred was in it.

"_Do you like scary stories?" he asked me. _

"_I love them," I said, still not moving away from him. It was an awkward position for me; the arm I was resting on was beginning to hurt and was in danger of buckling. _

"_Me too – they terrify me though. This story isn't that scary thankfully," Alfred admitted. I tried to not display my impatience. "So you know how all the citizens of Riverside are descendents of tribal people right? Yea well according to tribal legends, they evolved from wolves or something," he chuckled, signifying how little he believed in these legends "and there's some other legend how they used to interact with countries – as in, there were people who actually were the personified versions of countries or whatever and the tribal people communicated with them. And then there's the legend about the cold ones," he added, his voice dropping to a whisper. I had to lean in even closer to hear him. _

"_The… cold ones?" I asked. The name was rather corny for a legend. _

"_Yea. Those legends are almost as old as the legends about the wolves. There are some pretty recent legends too – like the one about my great-grandfather, George Senior, who actually knew the 'cold ones' and had made the treaty that kept them away from our town," he said rolling his eyes. _

"_Your great-grandfather?" I asked. _

"_Yea. He was like some sort of tribal leader or something – kinda like how my dad's mayor I guess. According to legend, the cold ones are the only natural enemies of the wolf… ish. But not like the actual animal wolf… but… men who can turn into wolves." _

"_Werewolves."_

"_Yea! Kinda cool right? Wouldn't it be cool to be some sorta werewolf superhero? Anyways, the cold ones have always been our enemies but this pack that came to my great-grandfather was different. They didn't hunt the way the others did – they weren't supposed to be dangerous to the tribe. So my great-granddaddy made a truce with them. If they keep off our turf then we don't expose their secret to the rest of the world," he said grinning. _

My eyes flew open as the sun's rays hit my face, pulling myself up into a sitting position. I stared at my hands in my lap as I tried to process the dream.

"Werewolves," I whispered to myself. That's what Alfred had been trying to tell me. He was a werewolf.

What the fuck? Really? Was _everyone_ in this bloody place magical? Pixies, vampires and now _werewolves_? And I thought _I_ was the strange one.

I had to tell Alfred that I knew – didn't he tell me to come tell him once I figured it out? I didn't bother checking what time it was; I ran into the washroom and cleaned myself up, getting dressed a top-notch speed. I almost collided into my father as I bolted to the door.

"Going somewhere?" Albert asked me, looking surprised.

"I need to go talk to Alfred," I said, breathless from running downstairs. Albert frowned.

"I thought you two got into a fight," Albert said.

"That's why I need to talk to him – I need to clear things up," I lied hastily.

"Without any breakfast?" Albert asked.

"Er – I'm sure Alfred'll have something there," I said quickly, though, truth be told, I wasn't really that hungry.

"Just be careful, okay? The wolf attacks are getting far too worse. I'm afraid we'll have to take drastic action," Albert said, looking tired.

It was then that I noticed the gun Albert was holding and that I realized what those wolf things really were.

"Y-you're going to shoot them?" I exclaimed, paling. What if he shot Alfred? I had to warn him – even if I didn't like the people he was now associating with, I wouldn't be able to live with the fact that I let my father go and unknowingly shoot them to death.

"We have to – one of the wolves attacked Mrs. Johnstone's husband; there was quite a bit of blood," Albert said. "I wouldn't be doing my duty if I didn't at least try to stop them actively." They attacked a human?

"Isn't there some other way?" I asked, wracking my brain for ideas. "Perhaps you could drug them and send them off away from the town?"

"That'd be impossible – we don't have that sort of stuff here. We're going to have to resort to drastic measures," Albert said sighing. "I have to get going now – I'll see you in the evening," Albert said, stomping out of the door in his heavy hiking boots. I watched him go, trying to figure out what to do.

On one hand I had Alfred and the urge to tell warn him about what my father and the other police officers were going to do. On the other hand, I had those reports of wolf – _werewolf_ attacks. Should I _really_ be warning these people - these people who have _hurt_ others [whether accidentally or purposely, I didn't know]?

I really didn't know much about werewolves and I found myself trying to force away the images that the media created about them – scary, dangerous and murderous. There was a chance that these werewolves were nothing like those – after all, the…_Payes_ [I found myself struggling to even think the name] were nothing like the vampires of lore that I had come to known. Hell, they _sparkled_. There was a strong chance that these werewolves were nothing like the ones of legend.

I frowned, staring at the front door as I evaluated my options. I didn't know whether I should warn them or not.

What should I do?

* * *

**A/N: Yeah...I think I've made Arthur bipolar xD **

**Guys, I'm so excited~! We're at least three chapters away from the reappearance of one of my favourite characters~! And when _he_ appears, it'll mean that we're close to the scene I've been dying to write ever since I started writing _It's Bloody Early Evening!_ I wish I had more time to write this, but math is taking over my life D: **

**Review?**


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen:

I took a deep breath as I walked towards the Jones' front door, wondering if I was truly doing the right thing.

I didn't even have to knock; the door swung open on its own accord and George wheeled out, staring at me wearily.

"Yes?" he asked, sounding reserved.

"May I speak to Alfred please?" I asked as politely as I could.

"He's not here," he replied, straight-faced. I glared at him.

"My father and the other police officers are planning on shooting down the giant wolves in the forest. _Now _may I speak to Alfred?" I asked.

George visibly paled as he took in what I told him. "H-he's sleeping, you shouldn't disturb him…" he told me.

"It's time to return the favour," I muttered under my breath as I stormed past George into the house towards Alfred's room [it wasn't hard to tell which room was is – there was a handwritten sign on the door telling villains or some nonsense like that to stay out]. I kicked the door open and walked in, intending on waking Alfred up.

Alfred looked almost child-like when he was asleep. The moment I saw him, I suddenly didn't have the heart to wake him up. He looked like he really needed the sleep. I turned and walked out of the room, seeing George watching me.

I cleared my throat. "Could you tell Alfred to come see me? I'll be at the beach," I said, remembering the beach not too far away from Riverside.

George nodded, eyes following me as I quickly let the house and went back to my truck.

It wasn't smart for me to see Alfred in person – I mean a newborn werewolf? There was no telling what could happen to me if Alfred wasn't able to control himself near me. I could turn out the way those poor people did. But I needed to see him face to face.

When I reached the beach I parked my truck and got out, welcoming the sun's warmth. I strolled along the side of the beach, stooping down occasionally to run my fingers through the water.

"Arthur?" a voice asked behind me. I stood up quickly and turned around, suddenly inside of a giant shadow.

"Alfred?" I asked, not able to see his face because of the glare from the sun. I lifted a hand to block my eyes as Alfred backed away me slightly, looking worried.

"You figured it out, didn't you?" Alfred asked. I nodded. "You should've just called me – it would've been safer for you." I nodded again.

"I had to warn you—"

"About how the police force is going to hunt down us? We already know about that."

"And you aren't worried? Al, they've got guns and traps and they're probably not going to leave until they kill every single bloody last-"

"We can take care of ourselves. They won't be able to get us. Soon enough they'll start disappearing too," Alfred said darkly.

I paled. "How could you say that? Don't you _care_? My father's out there! How could you do that to him?" I cried out.

"What else is there for us to do?" Alfred retorted.

"Maybe you could try not being werewolf?" I asked. "Isn't there a way to control it?"

"I don't know!" Alfred cried out in frustration. He looked furious now…hurt. "You know what really pisses me off, Artie?" he asked me.

"W-what?" I asked, taking a step back. The look on his face was frightening.

"How you're such a fucking _hypocrite_," Alfred spat out. I blinked at him.

"How am _I_ a hypocrite?" I shot at him. "How is being scared of a monster make me a hypocrite?"

"Can you fucking hear yourself?" Alfred asked with disgust.

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"I'm sorry I can't be the right kind of monster for you, Arthur. I guess I'm not as cool as a stupid_ bloodsucker_, am I?" he shot at me.

"No, you aren't!" I glared at him. "I don't give a bloody fuck at what you _are, _you dolt! It's what you're _doing_!"

"WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?" Alfred roared at me.

_Careful, Arthur. You're pushing him too far,_ the voice said urgently.

Great. Both the voice in my head_ and_ Alfred were not making sense today.

But I decided to listen. The voice had told me to do the right thing more than once before. "Alfred," I said as calmly as I could. "Do you really believe it's necessary for you to kill people? The Payes found a different way of living so they couldn't do that – can't you?"

Alfred stared at me in horror. "Killing people?" he asked.

"Yes, killing people. What the bloody hell did you think we were talking about?" I demanded.

Alfred almost seemed to deflate, the anger no longer in his eyes. "I…I thought we were talking about your hate for werewolves," he said quietly.

"I don't give a bloody fuck if you're a werewolf or just plain human! I hate the idea of you hurting people like Albert-"

"Is that it?" Alfred asked eagerly, grinning. "You just hate me 'cause you think I'm a murderer?" I nodded and he let out a laugh, running towards me and throwing his arms around me. "So you don't care that I turn into a giant wolf at any given time?" he asked.

"I don't give a fuck! Now let go of me, you giant idiot – I can't breathe!" I howled, feeling my ribs crack.

He did as told, staring me in the eye. "Artie, I'm not a killer," he reassured me, putting both hands on my shoulders. I almost felt myself sink into the sand at the extra weight. But regardless, I felt hope rush through me.

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Very sure," Alfred replied solemnly. "I'm sorry I called you a hypocrite," he added contritely.

"I'm sorry I called you a murderer," I replied. Alfred grinned. "But the others aren't either, right?" I asked him.

"None of us are killers, Artie," Alfred said.

"But those attacks…" I said, not understanding. Alfred frowned, letting go of me.

"We're trying our best to stop them, but it's difficult," Alfred said. He waited for me to understand. I stared at him before it hit me.

Li.

"No," I gasped, backing away. "Li's still here?"

Alfred stared at him in confusion. "Who's Li?" he asked.

"You saw him in the meadow. He was going to kill me," I said, still trying to process the fact Li was still close by.

"Oh him?" Alfred asked with a grin. "We took care of him already – it was almost too easy killing him!" he exclaimed with relish. "But you can't count that as murder – vampires don't count as people," he added quickly.

"You killed him?" I asked, ignoring the rest of what he said.

"We all did," Alfred clarified. "But I did most of the work – I was the hero~!" he said proudly.

"He's dead," I said quietly to myself. Li was dead. Li wouldn't be coming back for me. He was gone forever.

"You aren't sad, are you? He wasn't like a friend of yours, right?" Alfred asked.

"No. I'm relieved," I said, not looking at him. I still couldn't believe it. I didn't have to worry about Li coming for me ever again. He was gone. "But… I thought you knew about the vampires hunting me. You said yesterday it wasn't safe for me to see you. If you weren't talking about the vampires, what were you talking about?" I asked.

Alfred looked away as well. "It's not safe for you to be near me. If we get too mad, we turn into werewolves…and it's hard for us to control ourselves," he admitted.

"So you don't need a full moon?" I asked. He shook his head.

"Just a silly legend," he said and I was disappointed. First sparkling vampires, now werewolves that didn't need full moons to transform? Real life really took the cool out of those legends. "But Artie, you don't have to worry about your dad and stuff. We're working on this so Albert'll be safe, trust me," Alfred said.

And that's what I didn't understand. If Li had been killed weeks ago, why did Alfred use present tense? _We're working on this_. The only way that could work is…

"No," I gasped out, my heart stopping in horror. I paled.

"Arthur?" Alfred asked anxiously. "What's wrong?"

"Yong Soo," I whispered. Francis's voice growled at the name.

"Who is that?" Alfred asked. I shook my head and felt my legs go limp, remembering what Li had told me so long ago. "Arthur!" Alfred exclaimed, dragging me away from the water to a dryer spot where I could sit down. "Who's Yong Soo?"

"The other vampire with Li. They were old friends – Li was helping Yong Soo with a favour…" I murmured.

"Do you need water? Dude, you're freaking me out!" Alfred exclaimed.

"If you're freaked out, you have no idea how freaked _I'm_ feeling right now," I replied quietly.

"Of this Yong Soo dude?" Alfred asked. "Why?"

"Francis killed Yao. Yong Soo was in love with Yao and now he wants revenge. Love for love. He wants to kill me to get revenge on Francis." I laughed darkly. "Pity he doesn't know that Francis doesn't…anymore," I said, swallowing hard.

"Is that why they left?" Alfred asked, distracted by the last thing I said.

"I'm just a stupid human after all. A play thing," I murmured.

Alfred let out a growl. "If that bastard honestly thought that-"

"Don't," I said. "Please."

Alfred sighed, nodding. "We've got to tell the others – this is important," he said, standing up. He made a move to lift me up but I swatted the hand away, standing up myself.

"I'm fine," I lied, walking ahead of him. Alfred caught up to me with his long strides and grabbed my hand anyways, letting me lead him to my truck.

"Just wait up a sec," he said as I got in. "I gotta ask the others to meet up so we can all talk about this." He didn't wait for me to answer as he ran off. I made sure to lock the doors of my truck – even though I knew a lock wouldn't stop Yong Soo.

It didn't take long for Alfred to return, tapping the window of the passenger window to let him in. I did so, trying to make it seem like his sudden appearance hadn't scared me.

"That was fast," I remarked. "How did you contact them so quickly?"

Alfred grinned sheepishly. "Werewolves are really closely connected in their pack. We can hear each other's thoughts. We know everything about each other," he admitted. "Weird, right?" he added.

"Not really. F-Francis could do that too," I said as casually as I could, turning the truck on.

"Bloodsuckers can do that too?" Alfred asked, surprised.

"Don't call them that," I muttered.

"Sorry. The Payes could do that?" Alfred repeated, not really sounding sorry at all.

"Just Francis. But Feliciano and Ludwig could do things too," I said, feeling a longing pang for my former best friend. I missed Feliciano's cheerfulness and Ludwig, Feliciano's quiet but caring boyfriend. "But wait, is that why you couldn't tell me yesterday about you being a werewolf? Because you knew the others would find out?" I asked.

"It's more than just that. Berwald's the alpha wolf and whatever he tells us to, we have to follow. He told us not to tell anyone of our existence, the order pretty much stopped me from saying anything. It like, cut my voice off for a while until I stopped trying to tell you and made you just guess instead," Alfred admitted.

"Sounds like slavery," I remarked, irritated at Berwald again.

"It isn't," Alfred protested. "It's just wolf things. I'm starting to learn them now but at least _I_ have help trying to figure out everything. Imagine how awful it would've been for Berwald? He was all alone when he first transformed. He had to figure everything out by himself. When I transformed I had support by everyone else but it was still the most horrifying experience that's ever happened to me. Imagine what it must've been for Berwald?" He shuddered.

Even though I knew there was no more reason for me to hate Berwald, it was still hard to me to feel remotely sorry for Berwald.

"The others are going to pissed that I'm with you, aren't they?" I asked.

Alfred scowled. "Probably," he replied. "But it's alright. It'll be useful having you there – you know shit about the vampires that we don't know. I didn't know that vampires could read minds and shit. It'll be like having a spy amongst us in those super cool action movies!" he said, perking up. I almost smiled; it was like I had the old Alfred with me again.

I continued to drive away from the beach, following Alfred's instructions and driving towards the area where he had first taught me how to ride the motorcycles.

"Hey Arthur," Alfred began uncertainly.

"Yes?" I asked.

"Have you ever considered the fact that maybe… you're better off without Fr-""

"Yes. But then I realized that it wasn't true," I replied curtly, feeling my heart pang with sadness.

"But he was such a douche—"

"I don't want to talk about this," I snapped at him. Alfred sighed.

"I'm sorry. Forget I even mentioned that," he said. "You can stop here," he added, pointing towards the forest. I cut the engine, staring into the trees.

"We have to go in there?" I asked. Alfred nodded.

"Are you ready to meet the big scary wolves?" he teased, almost smiling. I rolled my eyes, ignoring the butterflies fluttering in my stomach.

"Let's go," I said, stepping out of the truck to meet the werewolves.

* * *

**A/N: And in the next chapter you'll finally get to meet the Wolf Boys~ ahaha, I quite liked the werewolves from Twilight. For some reason, the minor characters like the other members of the Cullen family, the other werewolves and the Volturi were always my favourites. Huh, weird, right?**

**Review and maybe the next chapter will come sooner~**


	16. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen:

The other werewolves being pissed at me tagging along with Alfred was an understatement.

They were _furious_.

"Why did you bring _him_ here!" a tan boy who I guessed was the half-Cuban boy Miguel yelled, shuddering violently.

"He can help us!" Alfred replied, pushing me behind him. The other boys watched the two of them argue. They all looked like brothers with their blonde hair and blue eyes. I spotted Ari amongst them all and our eyes met. He gave me a slight smile before turning back to watch the argument.

"Of _course_! Of course that leech lover would be dying to help us kill those things she loves so much!" Miguel cried out.

"C'lm d'wn," Berwald said, appearing from the trees, looking annoyed.

Miguel seemed to listen to Berwald, panting hard.

"God, you need to get a grip, Miguel," a tall boy with hair spiked up and a scar on his forehead muttered.

"Shut up, Lars!" Miguel yelled.

"Calm down!" Alfred yelled back as Miguel began to shudder more violently, hitting the ground with a dull thud.

I watched in horror as fur began to grow on the boy. He seemed to grow larger and larger and when he finally stopped growing, he stood on four paws, glaring at me.

At that exact moment, Alfred went running at the thing. I opened my mouth to yell out a warning as Alfred leapt into the air. I stared in horror as he began to grow fur and become larger and larger before hitting the ground in front of the other wolf.

"Get Arth'r t'Tino," Berwald said as the two wolves began to fight. I backed away from the action in terror, walking into Ari, who had somehow managed to get behind me during all of the commotion.

"Let's go," Ari said, pushing me backwards, away from the wolves. Lars followed us with a roll of his eyes, stooping down to pick up bits of fabric that had been shredded when Alfred turned into a werewolf.

"Someone's going to need to go shopping again," Lars muttered. "Go get Berwald's clothes," he told Ari. Ari ran off, returning quickly with a pair of shorts and two shoes.

"Al's dad's not gonna be too happy about him ripping up his last pair of shoes," Ari remarked as the three of us began to walk towards…well, to somewhere I didn't know, away from the wolves.

"Did you see how the kid phased, though? He's got a gift – Miguel doesn't stand a chance," Lars replied.

"Even Berwald hasn't been able to transform that quickly," Ari agreed. "But Miguel's pissed and he's a good fighter. I hope he bites some sense into Alfred," he added with a laugh.

I stared at them in horror.

"Nah, Alfred's going to come off clean," Lars replied.

"Ten bucks if Miguel wins?" Ari challenged.

"You're on," Lars agreed and the two shook hands on it.

Was this another wolf thing? Because I honestly didn't understand how they couldn't care less about their friends fighting.

"Al's little boyfriend over here looks like he's going to throw up," Lars remarked, glancing at me as we approached my truck.

"I'm not his boyfriend," I growled, turning red as the two of them laughed.

"Mind driving us to Tino's?" Ari asked when I climbed into the driver's seat. I shrugged and he went to the passenger's side. "You go sit in the back – I dibs shotgun," Ari said to Lars.

Lars shrugged. "Fine by me. I don't want to be the one who has vomit all over me when he finally hurls," he replied.

"Nah, Arthur's tight with vampires. He won't throw up," Ari replied.

"Five pounds?" Lars asked and Ari nodded.

"Please don't throw up," Ari begged once Lars went to the back of my truck and I started up the engine. "I only have ten pounds and if Miguel loses…"

"I won't," I reassured him.

"How did Al get around the order anyways?" Ari asked as I pulled back onto the road.

"I guessed," I replied. Ari blinked.

"Impressive," he remarked. "I guess hanging around vampires teaches you stuff."

"Where are we going, anyways?" I asked.

"Tino's place. He's Berwald's fiancé. I guess Al and Miguel are gonna join us once Berwald finishes bitching at them for what happened and after they find some clothes to wear. I doubt Miguel's got any more clothes left," Ari said with a laugh.

Once we reached Tino's house with Ari's instructions, Ari spoke up. "Uh…I don't know how to say this but…when you meet Tino – don't stare at him," Ari said. "It pisses off Berwald."

"Why would I stare at Tino?" I asked. Ari looked uncomfortable.

"It's hard to explain," he admitted. "It'll make more sense when you see him. Hanging out with werewolves _is_ pretty dangerous after all."

I put the truck in park and got out of it, Ari already by my side. He was smirking as Lars walked up to us and saw that I was vomit-free.

"I don't have my wallet with me," Lars protested.

"I don't care. I'll still remember," Ari replied, sauntering into the house. Lars scowled and I followed him into the house, breathing in what I supposed were cookies baking.

A little puppy barked at me as I entered the house. "Who's that?" I heard a friendly man's voice say and I looked up, suddenly realizing what Ari meant by not staring.

The right half of Tino's face was marred by three long gashes, pulling the right sound of his mouth into a perpetual frown. He was holding a plate of cookies and I quickly averted my eyes to look at them. They looked delicious.

"Al's boy," Ari replied, walking over to grab a cookie. He bit into with relish and sat down at the kitchen table, reaching down to pat the puppy as it ran over to him eagerly.

"So you're the vampire boy," Tino remarked, setting the plate down and staring at me.

"So you're the werewolf boy," I retorted, smiling slightly as he laughed.

"I suppose I am," he agreed. "Want a cookie?"

I nodded and joined Ari at the table, taking a cookie just as Ari reached for his third one. Tino playfully hit Ari around the head. "Save some for your brothers," he said, turning away to continue cooking. I was surprised at how Tino referred to the others, but Ari and Lars didn't seem to mind it.

"Sorry, _mother_," Ari teased.

"Pig," Lars muttered, sitting down across from us to take a cookie as well.

"You better not try putting anything on those cookies," Tino warned, still turned away from us, and Lars scowled.

"Pothead," Ari shot back, reaching over for his fourth cookie, ignoring Tino's early instruction.

The puppy at Ari's feet began barking suddenly.

"What's up, Hanatamago?" Ari asked as the door opened. The puppy ran over to Berwald as he walked into the kitchen.

"M'wife," he said, a smile on his face. The one word was filled with so much love that I had to look away as Berwald kissed every one of Tino's scars, and then his lips. My heart ached with longing. Ari gagged as Lars rolled his eyes at the loving gesture.

I was thankful for when Miguel and Alfred came walking in, a scowl on Miguel's face and a beam on Alfred's.

"Who won?" Ari asked eagerly.

"I did, of course," Alfred replied, sitting on the other side of Ari. Ari scowled as Lars smirked at him.

"Ten pounds, dude," Lars said, holding his hand out. Ari grumbled under his breath as he passed two five pound bills to Lars. "And here is your five," Lars added, giving back one of the bills.

"Gee, thanks," Ari replied sarcastically.

"Boys," Berwald said, clearing his throat. Everyone looked at him instinctively, waiting for his next order. "Al h's info fer us," he said in his odd mumbling voice.

"I know what that vampire wants," Alfred said. "I was trying to explain that earlier," he added, glaring at Miguel.

Miguel glared back.

"What does he want?" Lars asked.

"The Payes got his mate last year and now he wants to kill Arthur for revenge," Alfred replied.

"Excellent – now we have bait," Lars said with a smirk. Alfred glared at him and in a quick movement grabbed the now empty plate and threw it at Lars. Lars got it in another quick movement. I would've missed the entire thing if I had blinked.

"Arthur isn't bait," Alfred growled.

"Chill – I was just kidding," Lars replied, handing the plate to Tino before it could get broken.

"W'll split up t'hunt fer him," Berwald said, ignoring them. "It'll be an odd n'mber, though."

"Mathias is close to transforming. Then we'll be able to split up evenly," Ari said darkly. Everyone was silent for a moment and I realized that although these boys had come to terms with their fate, none of them wanted the same thing to happen to their friend. I felt a sudden rush of pity for Mathias – and then for Gilbert, as I realized that that he would be the only one of his friends that was still human and not in the know.

"Lars, Ari 'n Miguel will be one gr'p, 'n me 'n Al will be another," Berwald said. I could see the worry on Tino's face when Berwald mentioned he would be in the smaller group. I felt an almost similar worry for Alfred. Our eyes met and I knew Tino knew how I was feeling.

"Arthur should spend as much time as possible here in Riverside," Tino spoke up. "I'm sure that vampire wouldn't be able to find him here."

"G'd idea," Berwald said, smiling slightly and kissing Tino's ruined cheek.

Not too long afterwards Tino announced it time for lunch and I watched the boys dig into the food, joking and talking loudly. Tino watched them all with an almost maternal look in his eyes and I understood that he considered these boys as his family and loved them all fiercely.

I spent the rest of the day in Riverside with Alfred at his house. George called my father and invited him over for dinner. It was a good thing my father appeared with two pizza boxes – Alfred ate one whole pizza all by himself.

"I thought you were mad at Alfred and that he was in a gang?" Albert asked me when we reached home. I shook my head.

"It was all a big misunderstanding. Berwald's nice – I met his fiancé today," I added.

"Tino? It's good to hear that he finally proposed. Poor boy," Albert remarked.

"Do you know what happened to him?" I asked.

"He was mauled by a bear over a year ago. I heard Berwald was horrified by it," Albert told me, and I suddenly realized what Ari meant about how it was dangerous hanging out with werewolves. If it happened over a year ago, it was probably when Berwald couldn't control himself when he was a werewolf. I felt sorrier for Berwald than I did for Tino. It must really hurt him to see Tino like this every day, knowing he was the cause of it.

When I went to bed that night, I thought about everything that had happened that day. I barely noticed when I had fallen asleep, and for the first time ever, I had a dream rather than a nightmare. I was with Tino and we were waiting for our werewolves to return with smiles on our faces.

* * *

**A/N: Hopefully now that March Break is now upon me, I'll have more time to write and there'll be faster updates. I think I've been updating this story once a week, so at least it's not like I'm taking months to write a chapter~ :D**

**Lars is Netherlands, Miguel is Cuba. Just in case you were wondering ;D For some reason, I kind of want to ship Lars and Ari together now. Or at least write more about them. If you think of the werewolves as a family, I like to think that each character contrasts or are similar to the Paye vampires. Lars and Antonio, Ari and Ludwig, Berwald and Roderich, Tino and Elizaveta, Miguel and Lovino/Feliciano and of course, Alfred and Francis. **

**Review?**


	17. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen:

Days passed and before I knew it, it was spring break. I had been hunted down by a sadistic vampire around this time – was this turning into some sort of tradition? If so, I wasn't appreciating it.

I didn't see Alfred as much as I thought I would; he was busy hunting down Yong Soo with the other werewolves. I spent my days in Riverside either doing work for school or wandering the streets, lost in thought.

The only days I ever saw Alfred were the days we'd walk along the beach side where we had first met, updating each other on whatever happened in our lives.

It was during those times that I realized that Alfred would put his arm around my shoulders for the entire time.

It made me think back to what Lars and Ari had called me. I wasn't Alfred's boyfriend. I suppose to other people it was obvious, but I knew that it wasn't true, so why would I let that bother me? Perhaps it was because I knew Alfred wished we actually were dating – hell, he could've been the one telling everyone that we were dating. It was infuriating.

"Are you and that boy from Riverside dating?" Taylor asked me as I passed him in the hallway at school.

"No, we aren't," I snapped, not in the mood for talking to him.

"It looks like you guys are – the kid worships you, man," Taylor replied.

"Well, I don't like him that way," I said.

"You never like people who like you," Taylor muttered under his breath, storming away. A part of me would've felt guilty for him if it weren't for the fact that I couldn't care less about him.

Albert and I had dinner at Alfred's house that night, Tino and Berwald dropping by to join us. I could see Albert no longer suspected Berwald of being in a gang, as the two of them talked non-stop the entire time.

After a while, Alfred and I got bored of the more mature conversation and left the dinner table to go to the garage and talk without worrying about Albert hearing.

"You walk slow," Alfred teased, putting his hands on my shoulders to propel me forwards. I stumbled along the pathway, scowling at him and swatting his hands away. He grabbed my hands teasingly and dragged me towards the garage, laughing at my protests.

"Why is your skin so warm?" I asked when he finally let go of me. The part of my arms where he had held me was significantly warmer than the other parts.

Alfred shrugged. "I guess it's a werewolf thing – we're all like that," he replied, sitting on the hood of the newest car he had begun working on. "We're also really fast and – oh! We can heal ourselves!" Alfred added, brightening up.

"Can't we all heal ourselves?" I asked, confused. Alfred shook his head.

"Not like that – watch!" he said, pulling out a pocketknife from his jeans and holding it at his arm.

"What are you going to…Alfred – what the fuck!" I exclaimed in horror as Alfred slashed into his arm. I turned to look away as blood came spurting out.

"Keep watching!" Alfred urged, brandishing the injured arm at my face. I stared at the arm and watched in slight awe as the skin around it already began to cover up the wound. In a matter of minutes, the cut looked like it was several weeks ago and not from several seconds ago. "Cool, isn't it?" Alfred asked.

"That's certainly useful," I choked out, still nauseated from the blood. Alfred laughed at the expression on my face and wiped the blood away with a stray towel he, for some odd reason, kept in a drawer.

"It is," Alfred agreed. "Especially since if any of us ever went to a doctor we'd be considered freaks since our temperatures are so high, we should be dead by now," he added.

"You seem to be adjusting to becoming a werewolf fairly well," I remarked and the grin on Alfred's face faded slightly.

"I guess I am," he said finally. "It's not too bad, being a werewolf. It's like having superpowers. But I don't want anyone else to become on – the transformation and the fact that you're no longer in control…it's terrifying," he added.

"Is Mathias close to transforming?" I asked, recalling what Ari had said.

Alfred nodded, grin fading away completely. "Berwald thinks it's only a matter of weeks until Mathias is one," Alfred said. He laughed darkly. "Him and me…we never stood a chance," he said quietly.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"The first werewolf pack was with both my grandfathers on both sides – my dad's dad and my mom's dad. Mathias is my cousin; his dad was my mom's brother. Berwald's grandfather was the third member in the pack. It would've been next to impossible if me and Mathias didn't transform into werewolves," Alfred replied.

"What's the best part about being a werewolf?" I asked, hoping to distract him from the sad parts.

Alfred grinned. "We're super fast," he told me.

My eyebrow rose. "Faster than motorcycles?" I asked.

"Motorcycles don't even come _close_ to how fast we are," Alfred replied. "We were fast enough to hunt down that Li vampire dude. That's pretty fast, right?" he asked.

I nodded absently, slightly taken away at how fast that would've been. I couldn't really picture the wolves running _that_ fast.

"Tell me something I don't know about the vampires. Isn't it freaky being around them?" Alfred asked, changing the subject.

"Not at all," I replied curtly. Alfred blinked at me.

"Okay…so why did uh, your vampire dude kill that Yao dude anyways?" he asked.

"Yao liked a challenge and the fact that I was a human protected by strong, skilful vampires seemed like the ultimate challenge to him," I said, remembering that Francis had same something the same to me. "Do you remember how I was in the hospital and broke pretty much half my body?" I asked.

Alfred gaped at me. "He got _that_ close?" he asked, horrified.

I grinned darkly, holding up my hand. "He got a lot closer than that," I said. Alfred stared at the curved scar on my hand, the one I had tried so much to ignore for fear of triggering bad memories.

"That's such a weird scar, why is it always so cold?" Alfred asked, poking it. He looked up at me and his eyes suddenly widened, understanding. He let go of my hand in horror. "He _bit_ you?" he yelped. He looked disgusted.

"Francis sucked the venom out just in time," I replied, shuddering as I recalled how painful it was. It was like I was on fire, burning with no way of stopping it.

Alfred twitched beside me, shaking just as badly as he did right before he transformed. The car he was sitting on shook underneath him.

"Alfred!" I exclaimed. "Calm down!"

Alfred blinked, taking a deep breath in. "Sorry," he said, his body still again. "Tell me more about those vampires," he said. "About their special powers. What can they do?" he asked, leaning back against the car.

"Ludwig could control emotions," I said, remembering the German boy. "Not in a bad way, of course – Ludwig would never use his powers for bad. But it was helpful, especially when I needed calming down. Ludwig would be a lot of help for Miguel," I said with a weak laugh. "His…mate? I don't know but his boyfriend, Feliciano," I paused for a second, remembering my former best friend, "could see the future. But not all of it. He could only see the things that were concrete and not susceptible to change so sometimes his visions were off…" Like how he had seen me dying, or becoming one of them. Neither of those had happened, though, if Yong Soo ever did find me, the former might possibly come true.

"Why are you doing that?" Alfred asked suddenly, breaking into my thoughts. I blinked at him and he motioned to the arms that were tightly wrapped my waist. "You always do that when you talk about them," Alfred remarked.

"I do?" I asked, slightly surprised. "I suppose it's because…thinking about them makes me feel like I'm breaking apart." I was even more so surprised that I could tell Alfred this. I never would've told anyone anything as intimate as my feelings a year ago. Alfred and I didn't have any secrets between us anymore.

"I shouldn't have mentioned that then," Alfred said, looking contrite.

"It's alright," I said with a sigh.

Alfred laughed. "Look at us. We're both so pathetic," he remarked.

"Indeed," I agreed, smiling slightly.

"At least we have each other, though," Alfred added and I nodded in agreement.

But I didn't always have Alfred with me. The evening I spent with him was the last time I saw him that week. Hanging out at George's house to do homework was increasingly awkward as I felt like I needed to make conversation with him whenever I wasn't working. George wasn't the world's best conversationalist so he preferred to keep the silences long and, in my case, awkward.

I attempted to hang out with Tino for a change, watch him cook and chat with him about random subjects. It worked for the most part, as Tino was friendly and easy to talk to. But whenever Berwald dropped by to check up on Tino and update him on his hunting process I had to leave. I couldn't take seeing them so happy and in love. It was selfish of me, yes, but even though it had almost been half a year since Francis had left I still couldn't get the pain to go away.

I spent my days at the beach, sitting down and thinking about the Payes. As much as I avoided thinking about Francis, there was a pang of loneliness in my chest whenever I thought about the others too. Feliciano with his bubbly cheer who knew how to always make me laugh whenever he talked for ages about Ludwig, the other boy standing awkwardly beside Feliciano, looking embarrassed. Happy – almost _too_ happy – Antonio who annoyed me when we first met but didn't so much once I got to know him better. I even missed Lovino; it always gave me a sick pleasure to irritate him some way or another. I missed Roderich's piano playing that always greeted me whenever I went to see the Payes at their house and sweet, kind Elizaveta who had some weird interests but seemed to love me as though I was one of her children as well. Thinking of them almost hurt more than thinking of Francis and when Alfred found me at the beach one day, I was curled up into a ball, memories of last summer flashing through my mind.

"Are you okay?" Alfred asked, sitting down beside me. I flushed and uncurled myself, nodding.

"I'm fine," I replied quietly.

Alfred sighed. "This is all my fault, Artie. You're stuck here having a terrible time and I'm out hunting so I can't even see you and…you know what? I'm gonna skip tomorrow's hunting session thing. I'm gonna hang out with you instead – you need some fun right about now," Alfred said with a grin.

"Fun?" I asked him dully. I almost didn't even recognize the word.

"Yup! Hmmm…" Alfred said to himself, lost in thought. "What could we do…oh!" he exclaimed, jumping up.

"What?" I asked, looking up at him.

"I know exactly what we can do!" he exclaimed, dragging me to my feet. "Remember those cliffs we saw?" Alfred asked.

"Yes…" I said after a moment's pause.

"Didn't I promise to teach you how to cliff dive?" Alfred asked. "It's settled! Tomorrow we're going to be doing that!" he exclaimed without waiting for my response. I didn't care though; a part of me _wanted_ to go cliff diving. It had been months since I last heard Francis's voice and the addict in me yearned for it. Cliff diving was the best way to hear his voice again.

I woke up earlier than I normally would have, grabbing an extra change of clothes as I snuck from the house. The fact I was risking my life excited more than it really should've.

Traffic was light since it was so early and I ended up at Alfred's house in no time, surprised that Alfred wasn't out waiting for me. I supposed that it was a possibility that Alfred was still asleep and decided that I would wait for him to wake up. The boy barely ever got any sleep ever since he started hunting Yong Soo down.

I knocked on the door lightly and then opened it, knowing it had probably been unlocked for me.

"Good morning, Arthur," George greeted me at the kitchen table, eating what looked like cold cereal and reading the newspaper.

"Is Alfred still sleeping?" I asked, sitting down across from and helping myself to a bagel as George motioned for me to.

"Not exactly," George said slowly.

"What do you mean?" I asked, feeling my stomach churn nervously. Something must've happened.

"Ari, Miguel and Lars found a fresh trail early this morning. Berwald and Alfred went to go help. Berwald reckons that the vampire's been hiding himself not too far away. They might even be able to finish this today," George said.

"Oh no," I whispered in horror.

"It shouldn't be a problem for them, Arthur. They know how to handle vampires," George told me.

"I-I'll be at the beach if you need me," I said finally, standing and leaving my untouched bagel behind.

The moment I walked out of the house, however, I knew I didn't want to go to the beach. I had been there far too many times and I didn't want to go there anymore. But where?

I needed to go somewhere that could distract me from thinking about Alfred and the other boys, possibly in mortal danger while I stood and thought for a place to go.

It was rather sad though; I had been hoping to go cliff diving and hear Francis's face _so_ badly.

And it was just like that that I had my answer.

Cliff diving.

Just because Alfred wasn't here to help me, who said I couldn't go anyways?

I got into my truck and began driving to the place where I had first seem them with Alfred a million years ago when we were looking for a place to try out the motorcycles.

It didn't take long. There were two cliffs beside it each other; a taller one and a shorter one. I knew that Alfred probably would've wanted me to go on the shorter one since it was my first time, but the path from my truck to it seemed long and tiring. The taller one was closer to me and that was the one I wanted to go on, anyways.

It was the stupidest thing I had ever done, and the thought of that made me smile as I stood on the edge of cliff, looking down at the water below.

_Arthur. _

The smile on my face grew as Francis's voice whispered in my ear.

_This is stupid, don't do this,_ he begged at me. I didn't answer, tiptoeing closer to the edge.

I let a foot dangle of the edge, the sound of Francis growling amusing me.

_Arthur, no!_ He sounded furious now, and the fury made me deliriously happy.

I jumped.

I couldn't hold back a yell as I began to fall. I suddenly remembered that I was a terrible swimmer and the fear finally sunk in as I tried to move myself into a diving position.

The water was icy and it stung as I crashed into it. As I sunk lower and lower I congratulated myself on being brave enough to jump.

That's when the current finally hit me.

I was pushed this way and that, water pouring into my mouth as I tried to swim back to the surface. I was so stupid; how could I have forgotten how dangerous the waters were down below? I had been so preoccupied with the cliff itself, I completely forgot about the strength of the current.

My lungs felt like they were going to burst; I needed air. I tried to push myself upwards to where the surface was but I was disoriented and it seemed as though I was swimming further down rather than up.

_Arthur you must keep swimming!_ Francis begged in my mind, sounding desperate.

The coldness of the water sunk into my skin and it hurt to keep moving my legs. I was getting more and more exhausted, my arms no longer moving.

_Arthur please, do it for me! Please keep fighting!_ Francis yelled in my mind. But it was too tiring and it was much, much easier for me to just lie there and let the current do what it wanted with me. Surely this was a much easier death than the one Yong Soo had planned for me? In fact, in comparison of the many other ways I had died, certainly this had to be the most peaceful. It was the best way to die.

But rather disappointing, it was. A part of me had expected to see my life flash before my eyes – it would've been nice to have something somewhat normal happen to me. But instead of that, my subconscious brought up an image of Francis, staring at me with utter horror. It was the most perfect memory I had ever seen; it was as though my mind had been saving this image for my final moments.

Francis and his blonde golden hair, his deep enchanting blue eyes and his lips pulled into a snarl. It was amazing how accurate it was to the real one.

"_Arthur!"_ he yelled at me, seeming so close to me.

The current pushed me again, making Francis seem further away from me than he had before. Something hit me like a rock, causing me to exhale the very little breath I had left in me. The image of Francis vanished and I was left in the darkness once more.

This must be it. This must be time for me to go. The current wrapped its arms around me and pulled me away, further and further.

_Goodbye, Francis _was my very last thought.

* * *

**A/N: You know guys, I'm kinda sad that the last few chapters hadn't gotten as many reviews as I had hoped. Maybe it's just me being a little selfish, but I'd really appreciate hearing what you have to say about this story because there are times where I feel like I should just discontinue the story because I don't know if I want to continue it :/ **

**Also, on a different note, my heart goes out to everyone in Japan. Like dudes, I'm so horrified at what's happening over there, I really hope everyone is safe!**

**Review?**


	18. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen:

It was at that very moment that I reached the surface.

And here I was thinking I had been sinking.

The current continued to push me down the river, making me sputter as water crashed into my eyes and into my nose, making me choke and gasp for the little air I could get.

"Breathe!" a voice yelled. Oddly enough, it wasn't Francis's. Was I turning into a schizophrenic? How sad, to develop a mental illness right before dying.

A large amount of water came into my mouth, the cool water chilling my throat. I shivered violently, feeling as though I was being dragged away from the water and the rocks. My head hit something and I suddenly couldn't see anymore.

"Arthur, you gotta breathe!" the voice begged and I realized that it was Alfred. Had he been the one dragging me?

I felt my body being dragged onto dry land and two hands pressed against my chest, pumping water out of me. I lazily swatted the hands away, coughing up water. As my vision cleared and watched as Alfred lifted me into the air and away from the water. I was too tired to tell him to put me down. His warm body was comforting as he carried me to my truck and drew me away from the cliffs.

"Why did you do that, Arthur?" Alfred asked, sounding furious. "You know how worried you got me? Save the stupid stuff for when I'm actually _with_ you, okay?"

"Sorry," I croaked out. I sounded like a frog. How oddly ironic.

There was a weird buzzing sound and Alfred reached into his pocket to pull out a cell phone. "Yeah I got him, how's he doing?" he asked. He made a face to whatever was being said to him. "Are the rest of them doing alright? I'll be there right after dropping Arthur home," he promised, hanging up the phone and shoving it back into his pocket.

"Who was that?" I asked.

"Berwald," came the curt reply; it was obvious he was still mad at me.

"It sounded like someone was hurt," I said.

Alfred sighed. "Gilbert's dad is in the hospital. He had a heart attack," he told me and I felt my heart sink. My stomach churned guiltily; with Conrad in the hospital, I really had chosen a terrible time to plunge to my near-death.

"Will he be alright?" I asked, feeling terrible for Erik, Gilbert and their mother.

Alfred shook his head. "The doctors aren't too sure at this point. It doesn't look good though," he replied.

Alfred pulled into his driveway and helped me out of my seat, almost carrying me into the house and setting me down on the couch.

"You can rest here – you need some clothes to change into? I'm pretty sure I still have some old stuff somewhere…" Alfred asked me, running a hair through his damp hair. I shook my head. The heater in my truck had dried most of my clothes and at that moment, I was too tired to do anything else.

"I'll change later," I whispered, barely able to keep my eyes open. As I closed my eyes I felt a blanket cover me that smelt very much like Alfred.

"I'm going to the hospital now, okay? Sleep as long as you need to – I'll drop you off at home later," Alfred said. I hummed and let sleep wash over me, faintly hearing Alfred walk out of the room.

The suddenness of Conrad's heart attack had changed how I saw my life. The amount of reckless things I had done…if they had actually ended up killing me, how would Albert have coped? How would've Alfred dealt with my death? Life was so valuable, so precious, and the fact that at any given moment it could be taken away terrified me. I didn't want to try to encourage death to steal my life away anymore.

Even if Francis was gone, I didn't want to die.

Not anymore, at least.

The pain still hurt, and as I slept on, I could feel my chest aching as I thought of the image of Francis my subconscious had shown me as I was on the brink of death. I knew the pain wouldn't go away, but I would wait. I knew it would be possible for me to let go…as long as I had Alfred.

I replayed my near death experience over and over again, seeing the rocks and the water hit me almost as if I was in the water again. Now that I was away from the danger, I saw more than I had while in the moment. I saw a shadow of a person standing by the water as I thrashed about in the water. I remembered feeling something brush past me in the water. But what could it have been?

When my eyes finally opened and my body felt at ease, I heard the distinctive sounds of a car pulling up in the driveway. I pulled myself into a sitting position, stretching out the sore muscles in my legs and arms.

"How are y'doing, Arth'r?" Berwald said as he walked into the living room. His voice sounded off – as though he were trying to cover up something else.

"I'm doing better now," I replied, watching as Alfred wheeled his father into the room as well. All three sported solemn looks. "How is Conrad?" I asked.

George's eyes met mine and I could see the bloodshot look in his eyes, and the new tears forming. My heart sank.

"No," I whispered.

"Goin' b'ck to the h'spit'l," Berwald grunted, shuffling out of the house before any of us could stop him. George wheeled away from us as well, rolling into the kitchen so he could be alone.

"I'll take you home, Arthur," Alfred said finally, breaking the silence. His eyes were just as bloodshot as his father's.

The drive home was silent, the only sounds coming from the truck itself and the rain pouring outside. I stared blankly out of the window, watching Alfred's tense face be reflected on it.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Alfred asked. I nodded. I saw him smile ever so slightly through the reflection and reach out for me. He hesitated and pulled back, concentrating on driving.

It was depressing, seeing him like this. I was so used to seeing Alfred happy that seeing him mad or sad was almost confusing; it was uncharacteristic.

"Your dad's still at the hospital, he's helping Gillian with the…funeral preparations," he said, his voice cracking slightly. "I'd go back and see how Gilbert's doing, but I have to keep watch for that bloodsucker," he continued. "Gilbert's taking his dad's death harder than Erik. His dad was already criticizing him and telling him to shape up, and Gilbert really wanted to make him proud. He really looked up to his dad, you know," he told me, and I could see his lip quivering.

He pulled up into our driveway just as the rain began to die out, stepping out of the car as I did and hugging me tightly. The move caught me by surprise. I supposed he needed a hug to help him cope with Conrad's death so I hugged him back, slightly irritated and scared at how good the hug felt to me.

"I'm really happy you're alive, Arthur," he murmured and I stared up at him, confused. He hugged me because of that? Not because of Conrad's death? "I know you don't feel the same way that I do to you and I get it, but I'm really, really happy that you're not dead," he continued. He pulled me closer to him and hugged me tighter, resting his chin on the top of my head.

I listened to the fast beating of his heart as my head pressed against his chest and the sudden thought occurred to me: if I tilted my head up a little…I could be kissing him. The thought scared me – since when had I wanted to kiss him? I didn't love him that way. He was a brother to me and nothing more.

Right?

Before I could even do anything else, a gentle breeze blew through us. Alfred pushed me away in horror, looking around frantically.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Vampire," he spat out, still looking around. His body began to shake violently.

"How do you know?" I asked, feeling panicked. Was Yong Soo really that near?

Alfred grabbed me by the arm, dragging me away from my house and back into the truck. "I need to get you out of here," he hissed, his body shaking further. He pulled out quickly and drove as fast as he could with my slow truck.

It was then I saw it, the lone black car parked on the edge of the street.

Roderich's car.

My breath hitched momentarily. "Stop," I said breathlessly, staring at the car in horror. The licence plate was Roderich's. It even had the little music note dangling in the front of the car.

"What?" Alfred asked, staring me.

"That's not Yong Soo," I said, reaching over to unlock the door. "That's the Paye car. They're here," I exclaimed.

Alfred said nothing, his expression darkening. "The Payes?" he asked me finally, his voice hard and cold.

I nodded excitedly. Maybe Roderich was here with Elizaveta – or even the entire family, though my mind told me that that was probably not the case.

I glanced back at Alfred to see him shaking even more. "Al?" I asked.

"I need to go," Alfred said quietly. "I need to tell Berwald that the bloodsuckers are back."

"But they aren't bad vampires-"

"They're still our enemies," Alfred replied, sounding angry. "Go talk to your leech friends – I'm leaving," he said, opening the truck door and running out before I could stop him.

I watched him leave feeling confused. I didn't know why Alfred was suddenly so angry. But the fact that there could be a Paye in my house at that minute took over me and I quickly pulled my key out of the ignition and jumped out of the truck [I could always park it later]. I ran to my house and jammed the key into the lock, throwing it open when I heard the distinctive click.

The hallway was dark and quiet when I entered my house, shutting the door behind me. It eeriness was rather creepy, and I reached out to find the light switch. It was like being under water all over again. I could even feel someone watching me, watching my every move.

I was reminded of the shadow that had been watching me drown. Who had that been?

_Berwald reckons that the vampire's been hiding himself not too far away._

And like that, I suddenly knew who the shadow had been. He had been watching me die, only to be saved by Alfred.

The lights turned on, freezing me mid-search.

I hadn't been the one to turn the lights on.

As my eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness, I saw a figure standing there, watching me.

No...could it be?

* * *

**A/N: Who could that be?**


	19. LAST CHAPTER

**A/N: Hey! Whoa weird, the author's note at the beginning? Freaky, right? **

**Well, I've got some news for all of y'all. **

**It was inevitable, I know but...**

**I've fallen out of the Hetalia fandom. **

**I'm so so sorry guys I tried not to but I couldn't stop myself - I wish I could pull myself in but I can't. **

**But I felt so bad about leaving you guys at a cliffhanger so I wrote the rest of the story in one small chapter. **

**I hope you enjoy the last chapter, guys! Maybe you guys will follow me into my new fandom (L)**

* * *

"FRAANNYY?" I let out with a gasp, staring at the magnificent beast in front of me. His chiselled abs, his sexy chest hair and his vital regions all shone at me with its glittery awesomeness.

"Oui, c'est moi," Francis said, beaming at me cockily. Oh hee, I quite like that word – it's FANCY.

"WHY ARE YOU BACK?" I asked, suddenly mad. "YOU LEFT ME AND DIDN'T EVEN CARED IF I DIED OR NOT."

"Oh but my love," Francis cried out, hurt. "I did love you – I 'ave always loved you! I just did not want you to see zat I am no good for youuuu!"

Apparently Francis gained a French accent while he was gone. Weird.

"Well – I'm in love with Alfred now and he's a sexy werewolf so SUCK IT," I yelled, knowing that this would pain Francis immensely.

"Ah mein heart!" Francis cried out. "Why arre you 'urting me so? If zat is 'ow you rrreally feel about moi, zen I shall leave!"

And he did.

"NOOOO WAAAIIIIIT," I cried out, heartbroken. "I WAS ONLY KIDDING YOU DOLT – I STILL LOVE YOUUUU. HAVEN'T YOU EVER HEARD OF PLAYING HARD TO GET?"

This heart-wrenching heartbreak was too much for me. I decided to go kill myself.

I went back to the cliff where I had jumped from previously, its swirling waves of swirlyness swirling at me with swirly scariness.

Ho dang, the cliff seemed pretty high.

I prepared for the jump, knowing that this time I would not let myself hit the surface once more.

"WHAT, WHAT WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" a voice asked behind me. I whirled around to see Alfred standing there, his hands on his hips, his neck adorned with a fancy sparkly scarf.

"I'm crying to kill myself! Francis left me again and I don't know what to do!" I yelled at him. "So leave me alone. WANKER!"

"Why d'you have to kill yourself for that? You have me – we can be together now!" Alfred said. I suddenly noticed how sexy hot he looked in that scarf.

"Okay," I agreed and we began to make-out.

"See, wasn't that fun?" Alfred asked me cheerfully, his cheeks flushed.

"Francis was a better kisser than you," I said matter-of-factly.

Alfred gaped at me. "STUPID BITCH," he yelled, pushing me off the cliff.

I died.

Then Alfred, unable to take the fact he had killed me, went insane and drowned.

Then Francis and Mathias had an epic sword fight to avenge my death and Alfred's death and they died in the process.

The loss of two werewolves was too much on the werewolf clan so they all killed themselves.

Albert was so heartbroken over my death that he killed himself too.

The Payes sacrificed themselves to the super secret awesome vampire coven and they all died too. 'Cept Feliciano, cuz he's too cool for school. Awww yeah.

No, I am not stealing this from Hamlet – how dare you accuse a dead person of that!

Then Erik revealed to everyone that he was actually a prince from Norway and took over England and ruled over our lands for the rest of eternity.

The End.

Oh, and Kiku went on to become a playboy bunny.

The Real End.

* * *

**April Fools!**

**I love you all and Hetalia way too much to ever give up on this story. **


	20. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen:

"Feliciano?" I gasped out when I found my voice again. The boy stood there, looking like a picture image of what he had looked like almost a year ago. I knew vampires didn't age, but there was some part of me that had thought that maybe, just maybe, Feliciano would've looked different.

"Arthur!" he exclaimed, rushing forwards. His cold arms wrapped around me and I had the breath knocked out of me as his hard body hit me. His voice was like loud, energetic music to my ears and I realized how long it had been since I last heard it. "I'm so glad you're still alive!" he exclaimed, hugging me again. He pulled away quickly though, and I noticed that his normally hazel eyes were pitch black.

"You haven't hunted for a while, have you?" I asked and Feliciano laughed awkwardly.

"I was planning to, but when I saw what happened to you I kind of forgot to go hunting," Feliciano admitted sheepishly. My God, I missed his stupidity. "How are you alive? I saw you jump off a cliff!" he exclaimed, staring at me with wonder.

I racked my brain for an appropriate response that didn't make me sound like a lunatic or suicidal.

"I _told_ him this would happen!" Feliciano fretted to himself, wringing his hands. "'_Arthur is practical. He would never do something so rash_.' I thought that maybe he was right and Lovino kept telling me that it was pointless to worry about a stupid human anyways but you're not a stupid human at _all_ and Ludwig said that me stressing out was stressing him out and I don't like stressing out Ludwig because he's so strong and brave and smart but then I saw you jump off a cliff and I didn't know what to do so I ran here as fast as I could! How could you do that, Arthur? I thought you were smarter than that! Cliffs are scary, why would you want to die like that – if I had to die, I'd probably want to eat pasta until I exploded even though I can't eat pasta and that's sad because it looks so yummy and-"

"I didn't attempt suicide," I said, cutting him off quickly.

"But you jumped off a cliff—"

"For recreation. Over in Riverside the boys like jumping off cliffs for fun. I was bored so I decided to give it a shot," I said quickly. Feliciano blinked at me as though he didn't understand. "I was saved by my friend Alfred," I added quickly.

Feliciano blinked again. "Well I'm happy you're still alive!" he exclaimed finally, throwing his arms around me again. "But you smell funny," he added, pulling away from me.

I frowned. I didn't think I smelled funny at all.

"Who is this Alfred person?" Feliciano asked me, cocking his head to the side curiously. "And how did he save you? When I saw you fall off the cliff, the water looked really, really dangerous."

"Er – Alfred's really strong," I said hesitantly, not sure if I should tell Feliciano about what Alfred really was. It then hit me that Alfred already knew the Paye family's secret so it shouldn't matter anyways. "He's a werewolf," I added.

Feliciano's eyes went wide. "That explains why you smell so weird!" he exclaimed and I took great offence. I knew I probably didn't smell the best but he didn't have to phrase it like _that_. "Ve Arthur, hanging out with a werewolf is really dangerous – how long has he been one?" Feliciano asked urgently.

I shrugged. "A few weeksish?" I asked. Time flew by so fast; I couldn't even remember how long it had been since Alfred had first transformed. Feliciano's eyes widened even more.

"Arthur that's really _dangerous_!" Feliciano yelped, horrified. "Their tempers are really, really bad – even worser than Lovino's!"

"I know – but don't worry, Alfred's good at controlling it near me," I answered. Sorta, but Feliciano didn't need to know that. "Besides, he's the least of my problems; Li and Yong Soo are back," I told him.

I couldn't believe it; Feliciano's eyes managed to get even wider. This was bizarre to watch, considering the fact the boy walked around with his eyes closed from time to time. "They _are_?" he exclaimed. "Tell me everything!"

Feliciano listened with silent horror as I told him everything that had happened to me up until this point. "And Francis thought you'd be better off if we left," he murmured under his breath sadly.

"My father's going to be back soon," I remarked and Feliciano's eyes lit up.

"I haven't seen your dad in a long time! I wanna see him!" Feliciano said excitedly. "I'll go hunt and be back as soon as possible!"

I couldn't even stop him; he was gone before I could even say anything. Sighing, I retreated to the living room, my mind still trying to wrap itself around the idea that Feliciano was back. I flicked through channels lazily, watching but not really watching the TV, my mind going through various reasons as to why Feliciano would be here after so long.

He appeared an hour later, his eyes back to their normal hazel. He fell to the seat beside me and took the remote from my hands, switching it to the cooking channel. Why he would, I wondered absently, since there was no chance of him ever eating any of the stuff they made.

"D-does _he_ know you're here?" I asked finally. Feliciano turned to me, smiling almost sheepishly.

"No," he admitted. I frowned.

"He isn't with Roderich and Elizaveta?" I asked.

"He drops by every few months but not usually," Feliciano answered. He was probably in some high end city, seducing people to his bed. I tried to banish the thought from my mind.

"Where did you go? Were you with Roderich and Elizaveta?" I asked.

Feliciano shook his head. "I went to visit Heracles and his clan in Greece – Lovino was going to come too, because he's friends with Elise but Antonio took him to Spain instead," he told me.

"Did Ludwig come with you back here?" I asked. Ludwig would've tagged along with Feliciano; the German didn't really think that Feliciano could care of himself alone. Feliciano shook his head again.

"He didn't think we should interfere. We promised…" he trailed off, looking embarrassed. He blinked. "Albert won't be mad that I'm here, right?" he asked me, staring towards the entrance to the living room. I shrugged.

"He adored you when you still lived here," I replied. "Why?"

"He's home."

Sure enough, we heard the sounds of a door slamming closed. I stood to my feet and walked towards the entrance to the house, leaving Feliciano in the living room.

"Dad?" I asked, opening the door. Albert trudged towards me and walked into the house, his eyes red and bloodshot. "Dad, I'm so sorry about Conrad," I said, putting a hand on his shoulder. I wasn't good at handling with other people's sadness.

"He was a good man. He'll be in heaven now," Albert mumbled, kicking his shoes off.

"How is Gillian?" I asked, trying to figure out a way to insert Feliciano's arrival into the conversation.

"She's…dazed, I suppose. I don't think she realizes yet that he's gone. Berwald and Tino are staying with the family until…" he paused, sounding choked. "Poor kids. Gilbert's the same age as you and Erik's a year older. They're too young to be losing a father," he murmured. I nodded in agreement, slightly surprised. Erik was older than Gilbert? I wouldn't have guessed.

"Er, dad?" I said as I watched my father take his jacket off to hang on the coat rack. "There's someone here…"

"Who?" Albert asked.

"Ve~ Albert, hi!" Feliciano said energetically, joining us by the entrance. The boy really could _not_ read the atmosphere; despite the sad look on my father's face, Feliciano was beaming like there was no tomorrow.

"…Feliciano?" he asked in shock, blinking at the Italian boy.

"I was in the neighbourhood and decided to stop by!" Feliciano said cheerfully.

"…is anybody else with you?" Albert asked testily and Feliciano shook his head. I had a feeling I knew he was talking about.

"Dinner's on the table," I said to him and he nodded, shuffling away from us.

"Does Roderich know you're here?" I asked curiously the moment Albert was in the kitchen. Feliciano shook his head sheepishly.

"He and Elizaveta were hunting and I left without telling them," Feliciano informed me.

"Will you be telling…_him_ about this?" I asked nervously.

"He'd kill me if I did!" Feliciano said in distress.

I retreated back to the living room, moving into a lying position. Feliciano skipped over to another couch to continue watching TV. I suddenly felt drained of all my energy, drifting into a dreamless sleep before I could stop myself. As much as I wanted to stay and talk to Feliciano more, I couldn't find the energy to.

I woke the next day feeling slightly stiff. I could hear Feliciano and Albert's voices coming from the kitchen and it smelled like Albert was making Feliciano toast. I smirked at the ceiling. I wondered how Feliciano would fake eating.

"How bad was…Arthur when we left?" Feliciano asked hesitantly. His voice was quieter than usual, but I could hear every word.

I heard Albert sigh. "Terrible. He was always angry – I could tell he was really upset about…you know, but he was always covering it up with anger. He pushed his friends away with that, you know. Eventually, it stopped. He did all his homework, he was getting good marks, he was eating well – but there was something _wrong_ with him. It was like he was empty, like there was nothing inside of him. It was like he was a zombie. He barely talked to me; I was so scared to bring any conversation up to him in case it set him off…" Albert trailed off. I felt a pang of pity for my father; I thought I had kept my pain secret from him but clearly I hadn't.

"Ve…I'm sorry Albert," Feliciano said, sounding contrite.

"It isn't _your_ fault, Feliciano," my father replied and it was obvious that he felt that it was someone else's fault. And all three of us knew who it was.

"He seems alright though!" Feliciano said.

"It's because of his friend, Alfred Jones. The kid's a few years younger than Arthur, but the two of them hit it off fairly well. It started off as friends…but sometimes I wonder if it's becoming more than that," Albert replied. It dawned on me that Albert was saying this for Feliciano pass on to someone else…as a warning.

"T-that's good," Feliciano replied and I swore I heard him falter a little. Why?

"_He's_ not coming back, is he?" Albert asked. I could hear the anger in his voice.

"No," Feliciano answered quickly. "He's in Canada right now." I blinked at this new piece of information. Canada?

I heard my father snort in derision. "I suppose he's having a wonderful time there," he said. I heard a chair slide back and I supposed it was my father walking to the sink with the dishes.

"I wouldn't make assumptions like that," Feliciano replied lightly, but I could almost hear the steeliness in his voice which almost scared me.

I lay there for a few more minutes, waiting to see if they would continue their discussion again. When I finally realized they had stopped talking, I decided it was time for me to 'wake up'. I yawned and sat up, stretching and scratching my stomach absently. I stood up and stumbled into the washroom, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.

"Morning," I said as I walked into the kitchen after brushing my teeth, sitting down beside Feliciano. Feliciano made no indication that he had known I had been eavesdropping. I grabbed the cereal box that had been lying on the table and stood up to get myself a bowl and spoon.

Albert left not too long after – off to help Gillian with the funeral preparations. Feliciano and I spent the entire day together just talking. I knew it would be inevitable that Feliciano would be leaving, and I wondered how I would cope with that. Pushing the thought away, I distracted myself by asking Feliciano about the other Payes – all except one.

According to Feliciano, Roderich had taken a break off his medical work to do some composing with an orchestra. Elizaveta was still keeping house as she did while here in St. Helens, occasionally travelling to Hungary to visit the places she used to visit when she lived there. Antonio and Lovino had gone on an impromptu anniversary trip to Spain and Italy, Antonio sending Feliciano various pictures of the cities they visit. As Feliciano pulled them out to show me, I felt an another pang, almost hearing Lovino grumble some curse under his breath as Antonio roped him into posing in front yet another statue. Ludwig, Feliciano informed me, was doing some engineering, helping to design some cars apparently.

As for Feliciano, he had been tracking the mental asylum he had spent his last moments of human life in, as well as the family he couldn't remember.

"I lived in Italy – Venice," Feliciano told me softly, looking away from me. "My full name was Feliciano Veneziano Vargas. I had an older sister. Her name was Romana; her son's still alive in Rome right now," he added, staring at his hands.

"You had a sister?" I asked, wondering what it was like, having a sister that you couldn't even remember. Feliciano nodded.

"I can't believe I have a nephew," Feliciano said with a sigh.

"D-did you ever find out why your family put you into…the asylum?" I asked hesitantly. Feliciano shook his head.

"I couldn't find anything about them. I found their tombstones though. My tombstone was there too," he added softly, still staring at his hands.

I didn't know what to say to that. I didn't have to; Feliciano moved on to lighter topics, the smile appearing on his face once more.

Despite the family being all around the continent, they were all spending a few weeks in Greece with Heracles and his coven. I listened to the little trivial stories he told me, taking in these new facts and grateful that he never brought up _him._ I wasn't sure if I was ready to hear that yet – I was still very angry at him. I didn't want to hear about him whoring it up in some random country with various girls, as I expected he'd be doing, or raping an entire town or something to that degree.

Albert didn't come home until almost midnight, going to bed as soon as he got home so he could wake up early for the funeral. I insisted on coming along to the funeral as well; even though I hadn't known Conrad too well, I knew Gilbert and I wanted to be there for him and his family at such an awful time. Albert, however, told me to stay with Feliciano instead.

Albert left early in the morning in a suit I didn't even know he owned. Feliciano insisted on teaching me how to cook [because of course vampire who can't even eat human food can cook – how was that fair? How could _they_ be able to cook and whenever I try to cook, people say it looks like something died and burned up? I always thought I was a good cook] but eventually it ended up with me cleaning up every mess Feliciano made in the kitchen. For a vampire who was seemingly graceful, Feliciano was actually quite clumsy.

Around noon, Feliciano had spilled a pot of water for the umpteenth time and my back was hurting as I cleaned the floor, my knees sore from kneeling down so many times. Feliciano was frantically apologizing yet again for spilling the water and I was reassuring him yet again that it was fine even though I knew it _wasn't_ fine. But I'd never tell Feliciano that; he never took scolding well. Besides, it reminded me of when he still lived in St. Helens, almost a year ago. The familiarity of the entire setting was comforting, to say the least.

"Ve Arthur I'm so sorry!" Feliciano exclaimed.

"It's not your fault," I said, trying with all my energy to keep my nerves intact. The last thing I needed was to have an upset Feliciano on my hands; I had seen what Feliciano was like after Ludwig yelled at him for spilling something a hundred times and forcing him to clean up.

_Ding dong!_

"Who could that be?" I wondered out loud, feeling irritated. I was no in mood to deal with door-to-door salesmen or little girls selling cookies. Even though cookies would be quite nice.

Feliciano froze in his frantic flailing, his eyes widening. "I think I should go," he said, already out of the kitchen before I could register what he said. I stood up and chased after him, following him to the back door.

"Why?" I asked, wiping my wet hands on my pants.

"I think I know who's at the door and I don't think he wants to see me," Feliciano replied, his eyebrows furrowed. I frowned.

"You think?" I asked. Usually Feliciano would know for sure who was at the door. I had never seen him not know.

Feliciano nodded. "Roderich thinks there are probably some exceptions to my gift. I guess the werewolves are part of that," he said with a shrug.

The doorbell rang again, three times in a row. It was obvious that whoever was at the door – most likely Alfred – was getting impatient.

"You don't have to leave," I said quickly, ignoring the persistent ringing. Feliciano shook his head quickly.

"I don't want to be in the same room as him," Feliciano said, sounding scared. "He might hurt me!" At first I thought that Feliciano was just exaggerating, as there was no way Alfred could hurt a vampire…but then I remembered seeing Alfred fight Miguel and how the werewolves had killed Li.

Before I could even respond or say goodbye, Feliciano was gone. Ludwig hadn't been kidding when he had told me a long time ago that Feliciano was a fast runner; especially in the face of confrontation.

The doorbell rang again.

* * *

**A/N: Ahaha, liked my April Fools joke, didn't you? xD That was fun~ **

**Fun fact: there are only 6 more chapters and an epilogue left. Gosh, I had no idea - time flies by fast, doesn't it? Soon enough I'll be starting the third book~**

**Review?**


	21. Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen:

I threw open the door, not surprised when I saw Alfred standing there, glaring at me.

"Yes?" I asked, noticing Lars and Ari sitting in his car parked on the sidewalk of our driveway. I wanted to roll my eyes at how Alfred couldn't even come visit me without one of his wolf friends supporting him.

Alfred didn't reply, glancing into my house around me.

"He isn't here right now, if that's what you're looking for," I said as coldly as I could.

"So you're alone?" he asked me. I nodded. "Good," Alfred said, pushing past me into the house.

"I never said you could enter!" I said hotly as he dragged me into the kitchen.

"I need to talk to you," Alfred growled.

"Go on, I don't want to waste your time," I said coolly.

"You have a vampire staying over at your house," he stated.

"Feliciano Paye," I replied. Alfred nodded.

"How long is he here for?" he asked.

"For as long as he wants to," I replied.

"Did you tell him about-"

"I already told him about Yong Soo."

"I hope you realize that since you have a vampire here, we can't guard over you in St. Helens. We have to keep in Riverside," Alfred said and I shrugged. My stomach began to churn in fear of the fact I would be left alone in case Yong Soo ever came for me but I didn't let that show on my face.

"Are the others coming?" he asked. I hesitated before answering.

I sighed. "No, they aren't," I said eventually.

"Oh," Alfred said, his lips forming a perfect little 'o'. He looked away and ran a hand through his hair.

The silence in the kitchen was intolerable. It was hard to believe that this boy I had considered a close friend – my _best_ friend – and I were now like this. What had happened? When had everything gone wrong?

"I should be going now," Alfred grunted finally, pushing past me to leave the kitchen. I didn't watch him go, leaning against the wall wearily.

I waited to hear him close the door shut.

I heard nothing.

"Arthur?" Alfred's voice said finally, from behind.

"Yes?" I asked, rather coldly.

"I miss being friends with you."

When _had_ everything gone wrong? When did the boy behind me grow into someone who looked like a man? As I turned to face him, I could see the kid in his eyes. The light spring afternoons seemed so long ago. What had happened? Why did everything change?

"It doesn't have to be that way, you know," I said finally, staring him in the eye. "I can be friends with you _and_ with Feliciano, you know that."

Alfred shook his head. "You can't. You may like him…but I never can. And the last thing I need is for you to hate me because I killed your friend," he said and I suppressed a shudder. Feliciano's fears made much more sense now.

"Well I'm sorry then," I replied.

"Me too," Alfred agreed.

We stared at each other for a moment, minutes trickling by.

"I'm going to miss being you friend," Alfred finally exclaimed, rushing forwards to throw his arms around me. I blinked in surprise, winded. It was almost funny how alike Alfred and Feliciano were. Perhaps, in a different world, the two of them could've been friends.

Perhaps, in a different world, I wouldn't have to hurt so many people.

Alfred pulled away from me slightly, looking me in the eyes. I could see myself in his blue eyes, looking confused.

"Arthur," he said very softly, leaning forwards.

I didn't want him to kiss me. But I wanted him to.

I didn't know anymore! I felt like giving up, felt like I should stop resisting and just let Alfred kiss me. It's not like true love would ever come back. Feliciano was back for a time, but soon enough he would be gone. At least then I could have Alfred with me, if I let myself.

My thoughts weren't making sense. _I_ wasn't making sense.

Of course it would be easy to fall in love with Alfred. Being around him gave me a temporary happiness and helped me forget _him_. It wasn't like I would be betraying anyone by loving Alfred. In fact, I could make the first move; lean in and kiss him first and all would be well. Or would it?

Alfred's lips were almost touching mine and I had still not yet made a decision.

_RING RING!_

I leapt away from Alfred as the telephone's shrill ringing broke the silence. Alfred swore under his breath and stomped away from me, beating me to the phone.

"Kirkland residence," Alfred said into the phone's receiver. I walked towards him to take the phone away; who the hell did he think he was, answering my phone? "He's not here," Alfred said as I walked towards him. He paused, as though listening to what the other person was saying. "He's at the funeral," he answered curtly.

"Give me the phone," I hissed, grabbing the receiver away from him. I pressed it to my ear, only to hear a dial tone.

"Stupid leech," Alfred muttered under his breath. Leech? As in a _blood_sucker? It couldn't have been Feliciano; Feliciano knew where my father was. So who…

No.

"Who was that?" I asked, slamming the receiver back into its hook. Alfred blinked at the intensity of my words.

"_Dr_. Roderich Edelstein," he said with a sneer. I gaped at him.

"AND YOU DECIDED NOT TO GIVE THE PHONE TO ME?" I yelled, punching his chest in my fury. Of course, my punches didn't hurt him at all, but Alfred still stepped back to prevent me from hurting him further.

"He didn't ask for you," Alfred growled back. I opened my mouth to reply. Alfred turned away from me, his hands suddenly shaking. "Gotta go," he said quickly, walking away from me urgently. I ran to catch up to him.

"You're not leaving – I'm not finished yelling at you!" I exclaimed, running into him as he froze on the spot, tumbling to the ground despite myself. Alfred grabbed me by both arms, pulling me to my feet and let go so he could run out the back door. Before he could I grabbed his arm, using all my strength to keep him in the room. "I _said_, I'm not finished yelling at you!" I exclaimed, and I wasn't. If the _wanker_ thought he could get away by answering _my _phone and talking to Roderich without giving the phone to me he had something else coming.

Alfred stopped pulling away from me, going dead still as Feliciano walked into the room.

Feliciano froze as well, staring only at me. His eyes were wide with terror.

"Arthur," he managed to whisper out. I blinked at how scared he looked and let go of Alfred, rushing to Feliciano's side.

"What's wrong?" I asked him, holding him by the shoulders as he began to tremble.

"Francis," Feliciano whispered. My eyes widened at the name, fear growing me for reasons I didn't know of. What happened to Francis? Why was Feliciano so scared?

"What happened to him?" I asked as gently as I could, trying to keep the panic out of my voice. Feliciano shook his head, shrugging my hands off of his shoulders, pulling out a small cell phone from his pocket.

"Lovi?" Feliciano said after dialling a number quickly. "Lovi, is Roderich there? I need to talk to him – it's urgent." I could hear Lovino's voice on the other end but I was too anxious to care. "When will he be back? I need to talk to him pronto. Have you talked to Francis at least?" he asked worriedly.

I waited for a response – any response. I watched Feliciano's face as he looked steadily more terrified.

"_No_, Lovi – how could you do that?" he exclaimed, horrified. "I was wrong – he's alive! I'm here with him – there's nothing wrong with him _oh_ Lovi why did you do that? I knew you didn't like him and Antonio always said you resented him but _why_ did you have to do that?" he wailed. "I don't _care_ if you feel sorry now – it's too late!" he added, a tinge of angry in his voice. Feliciano hung up without saying goodbye, turning to face me with a look of fear on his face.

"Roderich called a minute ago," I blurted out, almost too scared to hear what Feliciano had to tell me.

Feliciano blinked at me. "He did? What did he say?" he asked urgently.

I glanced at Alfred, who scowled at the both of us. "He wanted to know if Arthur's dad was here and I said no and he hung up on me," he replied.

"Is that all?" Feliciano asked, his voice still as urgent and as innocent as it normally was, but I could suddenly hear an undercurrent of coolness under it. Alfred glared at him.

"Of course is it," Alfred spat back.

"You told him he was at the funeral," I interjected and Feliciano whipped his head to stare at me, his expression of horror growing by the second.

"What were the exact words?" Feliciano asked frantically.

"Alfred said that Albert wasn't here and when Roderich asked he was, Alfred said he was at the funeral," I replied, feeling panicked just watching Feliciano.

"_No_," Feliciano moaned, covering his face with his hands.

"What's wrong?" I said, putting a tentative hand on his shoulder again.

"That wasn't Roderich, ve," Feliciano said, his verbal tic reappearing.

"I wasn't lying, if that's what you're implying," Alfred growled.

"That was Francis," Feliciano said, ignoring him. "Ve, he thinks you're dead!" he exclaimed, wringing his hands.

"Did Lovino tell him that I committed suicide?" I asked, everything starting to make sense again. I could feel my body relax.

Feliciano nodded.

"And when Francis called and Alfred told him my father was at the funeral, Francis supposed he was talking about _my_ funeral?" I asked calmly.

Feliciano nodded again, still looking terrified, but now staring at me with confusion. "Why aren't you upset?" Feliciano asked.

"We can call him, right?" I asked. "We can tell him it was just an understanding and I didn't commit suicide – and not for _him_ either, the wanker…" I trailed off as I saw Feliciano shake his head.

"Francis believed what Lovino said, Arthur," Feliciano whispered.

"And?" I asked, feeling panicked all over again.

"He's going to Russia."

"_And how would provoking the Ceemya make you die?" _

"_You don't provoke them. Ivan…Ivan does not appreciate annoyances. Neither does Natalia. You provoke them, it's the last thing you do."_

No.

No.

"NO!" I yelled, startling both Feliciano and Alfred. "How _dare_ he kill himself – he bloody left me to gallivant around the world with sluts and whores and then he goes and _kills_ himself because he thinks I'm _dead_?" I yelled.

Feliciano shied away from me. "Ve…I don't think Francis planned on outliving you, ever," he said softly.

How _dare_ he?

"Can't we call him?" I demanded furiously. Feliciano shook his head.

"I think he threw his phone away," Feliciano replied.

"Isn't there _any_ way of stopping him?" I exclaimed.

"There _is_ one way…" Feliciano said nervously. "But I don't know if you'll agree to it!"

"At this point, I'll agree to anything," I replied, trying to keep my breathing even.

"Come with me to Russia. That's the only way we can stop him – maybe we can convince him to not go through with whatever he's planning! It'll be easy for us to get tickets and even though Russia's really scary and cold and the people always frown at me and Lovi always says that the Ceemya will take me away and never give me back-"

"What happens if we're too late?" I asked. Feliciano blinked at me.

"Ve, I don't think Ivan would kill Francis because he's friend Roderich and if he upset Roderich then Elizaveta would get mad and attack them with her frying pan but…" Feliciano trailed off.

"But?" I urged.

"But they're really protective of Moscow and if Francis tried to do something to it they probably will kill him. Natalia is the most protective of Moscow," Feliciano said. He shuddered. "You don't want to get on her bad side."

"So we have to stop him before that happens," I stated and Feliciano nodded. "Then why are we still standing here?" I demanded.

"Ve, it's dangerous! If we're in Moscow and Francis does something bad, I'll be considered his partner in crime and you'll be a human boy who knows too much about our kind; they won't hesitate to kill you! You smell really good as it is – they'll probably eat you!" Feliciano exclaimed.

"I don't _care_; let's just go!" I replied. It was like when I had gone cliff diving. I had no care in the world of my own safety; I just needed to get to Francis. So I could strangle him for being so stupid.

"You write a letter to Albert while I get plane tickets," Feliciano said, already dialling a number.

I gaped at him. Albert. My father. If I left, he'd be all alone with Yong Soo still hunting me down.

"I'll protect him – fuck the treaty," Alfred grunted.

"Thank you," I gasped back, running to find a piece of paper so I could write a note to Albert.

_Dad,_ I wrote the moment I found a pen and paper,

_I'm with Feliciano; you don't need to worry about me. Francis is about to do something completely rash and very stupid and we need to stop him. I know its terrible timing and I know how you feel about him but I have to do this. I'm sorry. _

_Love,_

_Arthur_

"Done," I said, looking around.

"He's still buying tickets," Alfred grumbled as I noticed Feliciano wasn't there in the room anymore.

"Oh," I said, scanning through the letter one more time before placing on the kitchen table; somewhere I knew Albert would find it.

"Please don't go," Alfred whispered feebly, a last chance to keep me here.

"Please take care of my father," I said as Feliciano came running into the room.

"Get your wallet and ID and stuff – maybe some clothes because Russia's far away," Feliciano said thoughtfully, holding a small bag of his own. I rushed away from Alfred, not able to look at his face as I ran to my room to pack.

It was an eerie sort of déjà vu, me trying to pack and run away from home with Feliciano by my side. But this time it wasn't to escape from a vampire but to save one instead.

_Hopefully_ save one instead. I ran back downstairs with a backpack slung over my shoulders full of clothes and important documents. I could hear Roderich's car's engine outside; Feliciano was waiting for me in the car.

"Arthur," Alfred tried again as I attempted to put my shoes on quickly. He grabbed my arm and I shook myself free easily.

"I'm sorry, Alfred," I said, finally looking at him directly. I wish I hadn't; his eyes were brimming with tears.

"Why do you have to die? You can live for Albert – you could live for _me_," Alfred pleaded.

It hit me that this could've been the last time I ever saw him.

"I'm sorry," I repeated, turning away to run outside and into the car. Feliciano wasted no time in driving out of the driveway, already going much faster than the speed limit, our surroundings a blur.

The last thing I heard as we drove out of St. Helens was a wolf's howl.

* * *

**A/N: In my personal headcanon, when Feliciano's especially scared or nervous, his verbal tic, 've', is more pronounced and he uses it more often. **


	22. Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty:

Sitting on the plane was torture.

Just sitting there, knowing that while you were waiting for the plane to reach Russia, Francis was probably sacrificing himself in vain.

"Going on a plane is much faster than running," Feliciano tried to reassure me but it didn't work. Francis had a head start, after all.

I tried to sleep my worries away but images of Francis getting attacked by dozens of faceless vampires kept flitting through my mind. I felt a flicker of annoyance; why was I still not over him? It had been months and yet…here I was, about to go save his life.

Meanwhile, Feliciano had pulled out his cell phone to call Ludwig. I noticed a stewardess shoot him a look but didn't approach us.

"Ve, I'm not sure what's he's going to do yet – sometimes he thinks he's going to hit on Katyusha in front of Ivan, sometimes he's going to stand in the sun in a crowded place, sometimes he's going to kiss Ivan in front of Natalia, sometimes he's going to strip naked and run around the city! He keeps changing his mind so I don't know what's going to happen!" Feliciano said into the phone.

I tried to keep myself busy, like I wasn't paying attention to him. I tried looking out of the window but suddenly felt nauseous just looking down that I had to turn away.

"I know you don't like me going to scary Russia by myself but I have Arthur! No please, I don't want you to come too – what if Ivan wants you to take you away from me? You have a really cool power!" Feliciano was saying, struggling to keep his voice down. "Tell Toni and Lovi not to go after him! Lovi will listen if you convince Antonio! If we all go after him, they might kill all of us and then Elizaveta will get angry and attack them with a frying pan and-" He had stopped talking, so I presumed that Ludwig interrupted him.

Feliciano looked up from his conversation to glance at me and I quickly pretended like I was sleeping. I heard him sigh. "I don't know what Ivan will do to us if we don't get there in time," he said finally, and it was one of the first times I had heard Feliciano sound completely serious. The permanent cheeriness in his voice was gone and I could hear the worry in his voice. "I love you too," he said finally and hung up. It hit me then that if we didn't manage to save Francis in time and had to be killed too, Feliciano would be leaving Ludwig behind. I felt a flash of pity towards the Italian boy…and a flash of anger towards Francis. I was _so_ going to strangle him when we finally met.

I opened my eyes to see Feliciano staring at his phone sadly. "Ve, I hope we get there in time," he murmured, pocketing the phone and leaning against his chair. I didn't know what to say; it not like I could reassure him or anything.

"Who _are_ the Ceemya, anyways?" I asked finally, feeling curiously. "Francis told me a bit about them but…why are they so dangerous?"

"Ve, they're our royalty, Arthur," Feliciano replied. "They have all the power and they make sure that you follow all the rules."

I blinked at him. "There are…rules? Why didn't anyone tell me that? Just a year ago, I wanted to be…one of you – but no one ever said _anything_ about the rules!" I said. The man sitting not too far away from me glanced up as I said that and it hit me that without understanding the context, we sounded like we were talking about some strange cult.

"They're not hard to follow but if you don't follow them there are big consquences!" Feliciano said, his eyes looking fearful. "The Ceemya guard is the strongest vampire grouping in the world – _ever_. I don't think anyone's ever defeated them."

I could see that talking about how powerful the Ceemya was and how easy it would be for them to kill us was distressing Feliciano [and myself, to be completely honest] so I left the subject hanging like that and we spent the remaining moments on the plane trying to distract ourselves. I suppose the stress of it all finally exhausted me because when I woke up, everyone was getting up to leave the plane. I stood up quickly, almost falling from the sudden movement. Feliciano followed me off the plane, looking agitated.

"What's happened so far?" I asked him as we ran to find our bags.

"Ve, Francis tried to ask them to kill him but Ivan didn't want to because Francis's powers are useful so now Francis is planning on stripping naked and letting the sun do the rest," Feliciano answered, wringing his hands. He looked so worried that I grabbed both our bags and pushed him on our way.

We burst out of the airport a half hour later, the cold air making me shiver. Russia was a lot colder than England.

"How far are we from where Francis is?" I asked.

"An hour," Feliciano admitted. I swore under my breath; there was no way we could catch Francis in time.

"We're doomed," I stated rather pessimistically. I glanced at Feliciano, surprised he hadn't made some optimistic exclamation to counteract my words, only to see him staring at a rather flashy looking sports car – a Lamborghini Murcielago, I would later find out – with a grin on his face that made me think of Elizaveta whenever she saw Antonio kissing Lovino, a camera in her hands.

"Arthur," Feliciano said, his voice as innocent as ever.

"Yes?" I asked warily, feeling uncomfortable with Feliciano's sudden mood change.

"How against are you to grand theft auto?"

* * *

I cringed at how much attention we were getting as Feliciano zoomed through the streets of Russia. If I had found Francis's driving scary, words cannot explain how terrified I was with _Feliciano_ behind the wheel. I now understand why Ludwig always drives whenever the two go out.

"How close are we?" I asked, flinching ever so slightly as Feliciano switched lanes and nearly hit another car. I swear, if the Ceemya didn't kill us, Feliciano's driving would. At least, it would kill me, anyways.

"We're here," Feliciano announced, his voice too cheery for the morbid event that was going to take place if we didn't get there in time.

The sun was shining brighter than ever.

* * *

**A/N: Filler chapter, I know - shoot me. It was either an earlier update or a longer chapter. I'm sure you would've prefer a longer chapter, but that would've meant that you'd have to wait at least a month until I have time to write the rest of the chapter. So yeah. Also, Feliciano, Arthur and Alfred are going to be one of those characters I'm going to struggle with. Antonio too; I'm just not good at writing them IC, especially since Alice, Jacob and Emmett have their serious moments and it's hard writing Feliciano, Alfred and Antonio serious. Gah. In other news, we're getting to the chapter that I've been itching to write ever since I first started _It's Bloody Early Evening!_**

**Review? **


	23. Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty-One:

There was more traffic than either of us had expected. Not that Feliciano minded, of course; he was having some sick sort of fun squeezing the car into the smallest gaps between cars, driving 140 km/hour all the while.

We had finally come up with a plan; since Feliciano couldn't be with me physically as the sun was too bright for him to go by all the people standing outside the Bolshoi Theatre to where Francis was. Feliciano saw the Ceemya decide that they were going to kill Francis at noon whether he revealed himself or not; they didn't want to risk their secret being revealed to humans.

"Ve, you can't fail this, Arthur – if the Ceemya find out that I'm here they'll think I'm an accomplice and if they realize that _you_ know about our kind they'll kill you instantly and drink your blood; did you know you smell really, really good? Ludwig says it's because of something in your blood but I wasn't really paying attention because there was a pretty butterfly outside and-"

"What should I do?" I interrupted, wiping my sweaty palms against my jeans absently as Feliciano tried to find a parking space. The parking space was massive, with cars lined up in every possible spot. A toll booth was not too far ahead and it was evident that we'd have to go through it to get to the Theatre.

"Francis hasn't decided what he's going to do yet so I can't tell you where he is – you'll just have to run around and see if you can see him," Feliciano admitted sheepishly. I suddenly regretted skipping all my physical education classes back in London. My stomach began to churn with fear and nerves as Feliciano neared the toll booth. I squinted at the sign attached to it; thankfully, there was a sign in English for the tourists.

"Feliciano…do you have any money on you?" I asked, noting that the particular toll booth we were at only accepted Russian currency. Feliciano beamed at me, pulling out a wad of money.

"I bring lots of money just in case of emergency!" he informed me proudly. I stared at the bills.

"…these are British money," I said, taking them from him. Feliciano looked confused. "This toll booth only accepts Russian currency," I told him, feeling a flash of irritation.

"Oh," Feliciano said, not sounding as nervous as I was feeling. What if the toll booth operator won't let us pass? What if we don't reach Francis in time? My heart began to race and I swallowed thickly. I was ready to bloody bolt out of the car if it was needed.

"Money, please," the toll booth operator grunted at us with a thick Russian accent when we approached. Feliciano shot him a cheerful smile and I could get that the man was surprised at how bright Feliciano's teeth were.

"Hello~!" Feliciano said brightly. "I don't have any Russian money – can I give you some British money instead? I think I saw a money exchanging thingy a few blocks ago that you can exchange for some Russian money later!" he said, waving the wad of bills around.

"Why don't you go exchange the money and come back?" the man replied. Feliciano's smile looked slightly strained now, if looked upon very closely. I chose to stay silent; I have the uncanny tendency to say things that I will most definitely end up regretting in the worst moments. I decided to keep running through the very minimal plan we had thought up and imagining any possible strategies to find Francis.

"Sir, you don't understand – we're in the middle of an emergency, we have to go," Feliciano said earnestly. I strained my neck to see if I could spot Francis anywhere but there were too many cars and we were nowhere near the theatre.

"Rules are rules," the man replied.

Feliciano shot the man a winning smile. "I don't believe I introduced myself. My name is Feliciano Paye," he said cheerfully, holding a hand out to the man. I stared at his hand; when had Feliciano put a glove on? I never even noticed.

"I am Viktor," the man grunted, not sure of what Feliciano was getting at. He reluctantly gave Feliciano his hand when he realized that Feliciano was waiting for a handshake. His eyes widened as they pulled apart and I could see a wad of bills in his hands.

"You can keep the change if you want," Feliciano said quietly, a smile still on his face.

"This is still not the right currency," Viktor muttered, still staring at the bills in his hands.

"But I'm sure when you exchange it you can get even more money~!" Feliciano replied. "Now, will you please let us go?" he asked.

Viktor nodded absently, opening the barrier blocking us from the parking way, his eyes still on those bills.

"You've made that man very rich," I remarked as Feliciano zoomed away. Feliciano giggled.

"Not really; his future says his cheating wife is going to steal it and run off before he even knows it's gone!" Feliciano replied, amidst giggles. I stared at him. How was that funny?

Feliciano combed through the parking lot, trying to find a spot nearby the theatre so I didn't have to run as far. He finally found one not too far away under the shade of a large tree. I unbuckled my seatbelt and opened the door, waiting for Feliciano to give me the signal to run. We still weren't sure if Francis had made his decision.

"You'll call me if you see Francis make a concrete decision right?" I asked, patting the pocket where my phone was absently. Feliciano nodded, his eyes scanning around the crowds of people making their way to the theatre.

"I'll join you once the clouds…" he paused, his eyes widening. I stared at him, feeling panicky all over again.

"What's wrong?" I asked urgently, glancing at my watch quickly. Time was going by quickly and if I didn't act fast, it would be too late.

"They're _everywhere_!" Feliciano yelped, sounding fearful.

"Who is-?"

"Just go!" Feliciano exclaimed, pushing me out. I tumbled out of the car, feeling slightly dazed at the sudden sunlight hitting my eyes. "You have two minutes until they choose on acting!" he called out and I pushed myself to my feet, breaking into a run. The air was chilly but I paid no attention to it as I combed through cars, intent on reaching Francis in time. The sun's glare on the cars was unbearable, forcing me to keep my eyes to the ground as I ran or else I would be blinded.

So I suppose that's why I didn't notice I had reached the crowd of tourists until I finally hit them. I collided into a woman, nearly falling over from the impact but keeping myself steady in time. Being the gentleman that I am, I apologized to her and continued running. She shouted at me with some swear words – she must've been American, she was very impolite. I continued running, zigzagging through people, keeping my eyes open for Francis. I couldn't see him anywhere.

I never realized how hard it is to find a sparkling boy on a sunny day.

People gave me angry looks as I pushed past them but I was too preoccupied to care. Two minutes – it must've taken me at least a half a minute to get out of the parking lot which meant I barely had any time left. A quick glance of my watch told me that it was 11:59 AM.

My phone began to vibrate; I barely noticed it. I quickly pulled it out of my pocket, pressing it to my ear as I ran.

"Hello?" I gasped out.

"He's at the entrance," Feliciano's voice said urgently and I hung up, putting the phone away and pushing myself to move faster. I was nearly at the entrance [why were there so many people here? Was there some sort of show going on today?] when I saw him.

Francis was hidden in the shadows of the unopened theatre [why wasn't the theatre open yet? What the hell was going on today?], the only thing on his person was a long jacket. Was he actually planning on stripping?

"FRANCIS!" I yelled out, shoving a man out of my way as I ran. Said man gave me a look but I barely registered it. "FRANCIS, YOU BLOODY ARSE!"

He couldn't hear me. I saw him look around and step forwards. A naked toe seemed to sparkle at me in the light.

"FRANCIS!" I howled. "TAKE ANOTHER STEP AND I'LL KILL YOU!"

I somehow managed to reach the stairs, climbing them clumsily and tripping more than once.

"FRANCIS!" I yelled again. My throat was beginning to hurt. I was so close.

I almost didn't even register the pain as I ran into him. It was like running into a cold wall.

Francis stared at me, looking amazed. "Roderich was right," he murmured in surprise.

"Move!" I commanded urgently, pushing him backwards – or at least, trying to. Despite all my efforts, I could've been pushing a wall. I knew that we were in mortal danger, but oddly, I didn't care. I was happy to see his face again and I couldn't wait to break it into pieces. It's what the stupid loveable jerk deserved.

"You're very realistic for an illusion," he mused, stroking my cheek. My body involuntarily shuddered at the coolness of his hands.

"I'm _not_ an illusion," I replied angrily, using all my remaining energy to attempt at pushing Francis back into the shadows.

"So this is what death is like. Strange, I thought I would feel something when they killed me," Francis remarked, wrapping his arms around my waist. "At least we're together again," he said softly. I glared at him.

"We _aren't_ dead, you bloody dolt! You're still alive – _I'm_ still alive – and you have to bloody _move_ if you want us to stay that way!" I said, slamming my fist against his chest in my frustration. Of course, it hurt me more than it hurt him, but it seemed to make him finally listen to me.

"What do you mean?" Francis asked, confused.

"I didn't die – it was just some stupid misunderstanding!" I exclaimed. Francis blinked at me.

"But that can't be…Lovino said you died," Francis said. "Feliciano saw it."

"Feliciano saw me falling off a cliff. I was cliff diving, Francis, I wasn't even hurt!" I replied, my heart racing. Time was almost up.

"So you're…?" Francis whispered, his eyes widening.

"Oh you guys are like, _so_ totally screwed right now," a voice rang out behind us. I whirled around.

And as the clock finally struck noon, I knew it was too late.

We were doomed.


	24. Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty-Two:

"Can we talk about this, Feliks?" Francis asked quickly, stepping in front of me.

"Nuh uh. Voss's orders – we gotta kill ya at noon," a blonde with bright grin eyes said. It was strange, the voice was distinctly male but the hair and accent were very feminine. 'Feliks' wore a long black cloak, almost blending in with the shadows.

"But we haven't done anything," I protested quickly, peering at Feliks over Francis's shoulder. Feliks's eyes narrowed at the sight of me.

"Is that a human?" he asked suspiciously.

"How about we move this conversation somewhere else?" a second man asked, appearing at Feliks' side. Unlike Feliks, who was still glaring at me suspiciously, the second man was fidgeting nervously, his long brown hair coming over his face, he too wearing a long black cloak.

"But Toris, Boss _said_-"

"Since when have you ever listened to I-Ivan?" Toris countered.

"Ever since psycho-bitch said she'd have me executed if I didn't listen to her 'darling older brother'," Feliks said with an eyeroll.

"I wish you wouldn't call her that, Feliks…she really is a nice girl once you get to know her…" Toris replied weakly.

Feliks laughed. "She broke your hand when you were still human!" he shot at Toris.

"Only because -"

"Francis! Thank God Arthur got to you on time!" a voice called out, and the four of us looked up to see Feliciano run up to us wearing a black hoodie that seemed to be three sizes too large for him. "I stole this from a random man!" he answered to my unspoken question.

"Oh, right," Feliks said, turning to Francis and me again, "I totally forgot. It's time to kill you guys," he said, taking a step closer.

"Ahh! Please don't hurt me!" Feliciano cried out in horror, hiding behind Francis and me in a flash, his entire body shaking. He gripped onto my shoulders, making me shake as well.

"Can't we please just-"Francis tried to say.

"Silence," a voice rang out and Feliks and Toris exchanged a horrified look. They stepped back to let the new person by.

The newcomer was fairly short with short blonde hair that was rugged and messy. There seemed to be a permanent scowl on his face. He wore a similar cloak to the ones Feliks and Toris were sporting.

"Vash," Francis said curtly, his eyes wary.

"Ivan wants to speak to you," Vash said in a brisk voice. "Follow me." With that, he turned and walked away, into the theatre. Francis exchanged a quick look with Feliciano and began to walk forward, taking me by the waist and holding Feliciano's hand reassuringly, leading us along. Feliks and Toris followed us from behind, just in case Francis tried to run off with us, I suppose.

"If we get out of here alive, I swear to God I will kill you," I muttered to Francis as we walked through a long hallway.

"And why is that?" Francis asked, sounding surprised.

"You know why," I replied with a huff. If the wanker honestly thought he could get away with leaving me hurt and angry for the past year, he had something else coming.

We reached a dead-end and it was only after Vash had disappeared into the ground that I noticed a rather large hole not too far away.

"W-we jump down there?" Feliciano asked shakily, clinging to Francis' arm.

"Don't worry; it's not a deep hole. I'll go first," Francis offered, letting go of Feliciano and I. He took a step forward and disappeared down the hole.

"W-will you go with me?" Feliciano asked me fearfully. I nodded, feeling a tad bit nervous myself and taking Feliciano's cold hand, we both took a hesitant step forward.

And like that, we were falling. But not for long; we hit the ground beside Francis a few seconds later, Feliciano landing gracefully on his feet and me tumbling to the ground. Francis pulled me to my feet just as Feliks and Toris joined us underground. Now that my eyes were beginning to adjust to the darkness, I noticed we were in a long tunnel, a faint light at the very far end. Francis took me by the waist and Feliciano by the hand again and began to lead us down the tunnel, Vash long gone.

I stared straight ahead; trying to imagine what the Ceemya…headquarters would look like. My mind went to stereotypical vampire lairs with cobwebs and coffins everywhere. Though of course, as Francis and his sparkliness proved, this kind of vampire broke every stereotype I knew. I had no idea what to expect.

"You look different," Francis murmured, letting go of Feliciano to brush a cold hand across my face. Of course, he didn't look any different from the day he left. I scowled and swatted the hand away as my heart clenched. I kept my eyes away from him and he sighed.

We reached the end of the tunnel not too long after; we probably could've reached the end faster if I could walk as fast as a vampire.

We stood in front of a large iron gate that looked heavily bolted. Feliks ghosted past us to unlock it, smirking at us as he held it open for us. We walked through the gate and I heard Feliks and Toris look it. My stomach clenched nervously. It felt like we weren't going to get out of this place; like we'd be stuck here for a very long time…

The gate had led us to a brightly lit, sunny room. It struck me as a receptionist's room, for some reason. But sure enough, a woman sat at a desk in front of us, smiling at us cheerily. I suppose she would've been very pretty, but alas, next to the vampires, she looked very plain, like me, and very, very human. I had no idea what this human woman was doing here, of all places.

Vash was back wearing normal, modern day clothing, a longer black cloak similar to the one he had been wearing earlier in his hands. I could see Feliks and Toris taking off their cloaks as well, Feliks muttering something about the style of the cloaks, or rather, lack of. I was surprised and slightly horrified to see Feliks wearing a skirt. No amount of bleach would be able to take that image away from me, sadly enough.

"Wear this, you look indecent," Vash growled, throwing Francis the cloak. Francis frowned, letting go of Feliciano and I momentarily to pull the cloak over his jacket. I became painfully aware of the fact that he was completely naked under that jacket and blushed furiously, looking away. I noticed Feliks and Toris staring at me with renewed interest and I realized it was due to the blood rushing to my face.

"Hello, Vash," the woman said cheerfully, her words accented.

"Tatiana," Vash grunted politely, nodding at the human woman briefly. He made a quickl motion for us to follow him and we passed Tatiana, the woman not looking surprised at us at all – even though all the vampires in the vicinity were sparkling due to the amount of sunlight in the room. I heard Feliks compliment Tatiana on her blouse and Tatiana's giggle before we disappeared into another room.

A young girl who looks almost identical to Vash was waiting for us in the next room. Her eyes were an odd sort of turquoise-red and I couldn't see her pupils; her eyes looked soulless.

"Bruder," she said cheerfully in a high, childlike voice, reminding me of bells.

"Lilli," Vash said, smiling slightly. He looked less severe when he smiled, I noticed. The two siblings embraced quickly. Lilli then saw us, her soulless eyes widening.

"Bruder, you went to get one and came back with two…and a half," she added, glancing at me. I bristled slightly. What did she mean by half?

Vash smirked slightly and he looked a lot more dangerous now.

"Hello, Francis," Lilli said politely, smiling angelically at him. "You see happier now."

"Oui," Francis agreed. I glanced at the angry look on his face and wondered how on earth that girl could find that expression 'happy'.

"And this is the troublemaker?" she asked, her eyes flickering to me. She sounded innocent but I could almost hear the contempt in her voice.

Francis smirked slightly, looking as dangerous as Vash. I suppressed a shudder.

"Dibs," Feliks said lazily from behind – I hadn't noticed he was even there – and Francis' smirk faded to a look of fury.

"Ve, Francis," Feliciano whispered, grabbing Francis by the arm before Francis could turn and lunge at Feliks. I turned to look at the vampire and he was smirking at us. He too somehow managed to look as dangerous as Vash and Francis despite wearing a pink skirt.

Francis glanced at Feliciano and I suppose Feliciano was warning Francis mentally because eventually Francis sighed in defeat and glanced back at Lilli.

"Ivan will be very pleased to see you again," Lilli said cheerfully as though nothing had happened.

"We could go now," Vash urged and Lilli nodded. We followed the duo out of the room and past many intricately decorated golden doors. It was like we were in a castle…which was probably what this place was, to an extent.

We were led into a large, spacious, bright room which made me think of throne rooms in medieval castles.

Men and women dressed quite normally surrounded us, talking amongst each other as though they were at a social gathering, but the chatter quieted down to a dull murmur as we approached, people giving me furtive looks as we walked by them.

One man stood in the center of the other vampires, the others surrounding him in an almost protective stance. It was he who drew my attention first. Unlike the other vampires, the man wore a long black cloak similar to Feliks' and Vash's, the only colour on his body being a long pale scarf. His skin was almost a bizarre translucent white, soft pale blonde hair sitting atop his head. Perhaps it was the black cloak, but this man seemed paler than the others. His eyes were a washed out looking red-violet.

When he saw us, he smiled warmly but I felt a shudder go down my spine.

"Welcome!" he said in an almost innocent, high voice and it was then I knew that I was staring at the most dangerous and powerful man in the vampire world.

Ivan.

* * *

**A/N: Tatiana is only an OC. **

**Review?**


	25. Chapter 23

Chapter Twenty-Three:

Vash stepped forward to Ivan and gave the other man his hand. Ivan took his hand and closed his eyes, almost in bliss. I glanced at Francis curiously, but his eyes remained on Ivan's.

"Thank you, Vash," Ivan said and Vash rejoined his sister's side. Ivan turned his milky red-violet eyes to us.

"Feliciano and Arthur! What a happy surprise, da?" Ivan said gleefully. How did he know our names? Feliciano and I exchanged a quick look of horror before turning back to Ivan. "Feliks, fetch me my sisters. I want them to see the happy surprise!" Ivan commanded to the man in a skirt.

Feliks groaned. "Do I _have_ to?" he whined. Beside him, Toris looked terrified.

"Feliks," Toris pleaded quietly. I glanced back at Ivan. The man was still smiling yet I could feel almost a dark aura around him. Feeling a shiver go down my spine, I unconsciously stepped closer to Francis, who tightened his grip around my waist.

"I'm going, I'm going," Feliks said, stomping away with Toris in tow. Once the duo was gone, Ivan turned to us.

"You are happy I didn't give you want you wanted, da?" Ivan asked Francis cheerfully.

"I'm very happy," Francis agreed, his eyes suspicious.

"Happy endings are so nice," Ivan said with a sigh. "But I would like to know how this came to be. Feliciano, your brother seemed to consider your predictions like it were word from God but it looks like you made a mistake!" Ivan said to Feliciano.

Feliciano seemed to cower behind Francis as Ivan addressed him. "M-my predictions are n-not always c-concrete," Feliciano stammered, unable to look Ivan in the eye.

"But they usually are! I've seen many of your amazing adventures and your predictions are always corrects," Ivan said.

"V-ve?" Feliciano let out, sounding confused.

Ivan laughed [making Feliciano (and me) flinch], looking sheepish. "Forgive me, I forget that we've only just met!" he apologized.

"I-I don't understand," Feliciano said weakly, looking up at Francis for help.

"Ivan has a power similar to mine, Feli," Francis said gently.

"But more limited," Ivan added, sounding almost jealous.

"Yet much more powerful," Francis replied. "The way I can hear thoughts, he can too…but unlike me, he can only hear the thoughts through physical touch," he told us. So that explained why Vash gave Ivan his hand. "He can also hear every thought your mind has ever had," he added.

Feliciano looked up at Francis questioningly and Francis nodded in response. Ivan sighed at the exchanged.

"To be able to hear things from a distance," Ivan said wistfully. "It would be so _convenient_!"

Ivan suddenly looked past us, all the other heads turning as well. I turned last, seeing Feliks and Toris following two women, one with short pale blonde hair and rather large…assets, the other with golden blonde hair that went almost to her waist. Both looked as pale as Ivan. They joined their brother by his side and I suddenly remembered the painting from Roderich's office.

"Look, sisters!" Ivan said with delight. "Feliciano and Arthur are here! Isn't this wonderful?"

Neither woman looked like they found this 'wonderful'. The golden haired one looked bored while the other looked at us nervously.

"Now, Katyusha?" Ivan asked, expectantly, a hand held out. The short haired one stepped forward, taking Ivan's hand gingerly. I saw the golden haired one glaring at her sister behind her back and shivered; the look in her eye was almost murderous. Ivan smiled and let go of Katyusha's hand; Katyusha quickly rejoined the golden haired one's side.

Ivan stared at us curiously, eyes flickering from me to Francis to Feliciano and then back to me. Feliciano and I exchanged a look and glanced up at Francis.

"What's going on?" I whispered to Francis, my voice sounding far too loud.

"Katyusha can see the relationships between people. Ivan is surprised at how strong our bonds are," Francis replied in a low voice.

"Especially since the bond is with a human," Ivan said, staring at me with some bizarre curiosity. I felt my face heat up. I didn't like how he said 'human'.

Ivan stared at Francis' arm draped around my waist intensely.

"How is you are able to stay so close? It is difficult for me to understand, even when looking at the proof before my very eyes," Ivan asked, gesturing to us. "Is it not difficult, standing so near him?" he asked.

"Very," Francis agreed.

"Yet you don't try to give in…?" Ivan asked. Francis shook his head.

"Never," he replied. Ivan sighed.

"But…_vash pevitsy_! Your singer – you are willing to waste that?" Ivan asked.

"Oui, of course," Francis replied calmly.

"If I hadn't smelt his blood through your memories, I wouldn't have understood how strong your urge is – most of us have never felt it before. I would trade anything to feel it yet you waste it," Ivan said wistfully.

"Indeed," Francis replied sarcastically.

Ivan smiled a warm smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "You remind me of Roderich. He seems to be doing quite well, if your memories are of any evidence, da?" he asked and Francis nodded curtly. "That is good, though I never would've expected him to take such an…unorthodox career. I am happy he is successful and happy, I wish for all my comrades to be like this," Ivan said cheerfully.

"Of course you do," Francis said evenly. I didn't even have to look at him to know that Francis was angry. Though why, I wasn't really quite sure yet.

Ivan's eyes flickered to me and he sighed wistfully. "Just remembering how delicious he smells makes me thirsty," he remarked lightly.

Francis let out a quiet growl. The golden haired woman glared at him sharply as Ivan chuckled.

"Do not worry, comrade, I will not hurt him. But so I am quite curious about one thing," Ivan said, staring at me intently. "May I?" he asked Francis.

Francis glared at him. "Why don't you ask Arthur?" he asked. My stomach jolted at the mention of my name; for some stupid reason [even though Ivan was staring right at me] I had been hoping they had forgotten all about me.

"I apologize!" Ivan exclaimed, looking contrite. "Arthur," he said to me, my name sounding odd on his tongue, "you fascinate me very much. The fact you are the only exception to Francis' gift, it is interesting. And as Francis and I have very similar gifts, would you be willing to let me try to see if you are an exception to _my_ gift as well?" he asked.

I didn't want to get anywhere near him. But Ivan held a hand up for me; I knew I had no choice. Ivan had asked me as though I had the power to say no, but really, the only thing I could say was yes. I glanced up at Francis and he let go of me, pushing me forward gently.

I stepped forward and made the short walk toward Ivan, feeling all eyes on me. The hair on the back of my neck stood up as I walked. When I was standing right in front of Ivan, I lifted a hand up and placed it in his bizarrely wrinkled hands. His skin felt brittle, like it could break under my touch.

Ivan smiled at me and I fought to make it seem like I wasn't scared of him. It was hard though; staring into his milky red-violet eyes made me want to vomit…but I couldn't look away. Ivan had this bizarre power over me that way.

I watched as his smile slowly faded into a look of confusion…then shock. He quickly pulled on a smile as he spoke again. "How fascinating," he mused, looking thoughtful. As he let go of my hand, I glanced back at Francis, who looked quite smug. "Quite fascinating…I wonder if you are immune to other gifts," Ivan murmured. Francis suddenly didn't smug anymore, his face slowly turning horrified. "Vash?" Ivan called out.

"No!" Francis exclaimed as Feliciano gasped in horror. I stared at them in confusion, feeling slightly panicked. What was going to happen to me? The other vampires in the room were staring at Francis with some perverse delight as Ivan's smile looked more dangerous. The scary aura was around him again. Feliks looked gleeful, stepping toward Francis expectantly. Ivan quickly recovered from his scary aura phase and glanced at Feliks, making the other man stop in his spot. Feliks pouted, returning back to Toris.

"Perhaps you can try your gift out on Arthur?" Ivan asked Vash, as though nothing had happened.

"I won't let you do that!" Francis exclaimed, rushing forward, blocking me from Vash. The golden haired one suddenly looked up with interest, her guards ghosting behind her protectively.

Vash smirked at us.

"Francis!" Feliciano shrieked as Francis charged at the shorter man.

And like that, Francis was on the ground. No one had touched him. His body twitched and I realized to my horror that Francis was in pain, his hands balling into fists as he tried to muffle his screams. I looked back at Vash, who was looking down at Francis and it hit me how dangerous the Ceemya really were and why everyone was so wary around Vash.

"Stop it," I exclaimed suddenly, unable to watch Francis writhe around anymore. At first it had almost given me a sick pleasure, feeling like he was getting what he deserved for leaving me in the first place…but I couldn't look anymore. I took a step forward to stand in the way but Feliciano grabbed me by the arm, not letting me move.

"You heard him, stop," Ivan commanded. Vash looked up at Ivan and smirked, Francis no longer writhing in agony. He gasped for air he didn't need, forcing himself up. From the corner of my eye I saw Ivan make a motion towards me and suddenly Vash was staring right at me, a perverse smirk on his face. I cringed, suddenly realizing that Vash indeed to do to me what he had done to Francis. I waited for the inexplicable pain.

It never came.

Vash's smirk slowly dissolved into a look of fury. I felt Feliciano shivering in fear behind me at the intensity of his glare.

Yet, nothing happened.

"How very interesting," Ivan remarked as Vash gave up, growling as he rejoined his sister. Lili put a hand on his arm and he shook it off, still glaring at me. "You are very brave," he told Francis, as he rejoined Feliciano and I, "to have endured Vash's gift in absolute silence. I once asked Vash to use it on me out of curiosity…" he trailed off, shuttering, still chuckling. The golden haired one frowned, looking disappointed at my lack of reaction.

Francis didn't reply, continuing to openly glare at Ivan.

"Now, to figure out what to do with you three," Ivan mused.

Feliciano and Francis exchanged a quick look, Feliciano looking terrified. His grip tightened on my arm.

"You still do not wish to join our ranks, da?" Ivan asked, sounding disappointed.

Francis nodded. "That is correct," he replied briskly. Feliks and Vash both looked a lot happier at this; it was clear neither man liked Francis at all.

"What about you, little Feliciano?" Ivan asked, turning to Feliciano hopefully. "Would you like to join the Ceemya?"

Feliciano shook his head frantically. "N-no thank you," he said weakly.

Ivan sighed. "How about you, Arthur?" he asked.

Francis looked horrifying astonished at Ivan's question. I myself stared at Ivan in horror. What did he mean? Was he offering a chance to be a Ceemya guard and live the rest of my life as a vampire…or a chance to be their next meal?

It was the golden haired one, Natalia, my memory supplied, that spoke first.

"You cannot possibly be serious, brother," Natalia said, her voice deeper than I expected.

"Can you not imagine how powerful Arthur could be if he was one of us? He is already immune to my powers, as well as Francis' and Vash's. To think of what he could be capable of when he is a vampire!" Ivan exclaimed. "I haven't seen this much potential since Vash and Lili," he added and I saw Vash look furious at the comparison.

"N-no thank you," I said finally, noticing Francis looking like he was ready to attack someone. The last thing I needed was Francis getting himself killed with his temper. I hoped my voice didn't betray how terrified I was.

Ivan sighed, looking disappointed. "How sad. You could've been useful," he remarked.

"So is that it? You offer us to join and we've refused. What now? Will you kill us?" Francis demanded.

Ivan looked surprised. "Of course not – I could not do that to the children of an old friend. We were here already, waiting for Aleksandar to come back. We weren't waiting for you."

"But brother," Natalia hissed, "the law-"

"What about the law?" Francis challenged.

"That _human_ knows our secrets; you exposed them to him," she replied, looking at me with contempt. I felt my face colour with indignation – how dare she make it seem like I was less than she just because I wasn't a human! If I wasn't so terrified, I would've yelled at her.

"There are humans here who know of your secrets too," Francis pointed out.

"They serve us until we do not need them anymore and then they serve to feed us," Natalia replied. I thought back to Tatiana and shuddered, wondering if the pretty woman knew of her fate. "You are not prepared to destroy this human if he ever betrays our secrets and you do not wish to turn him into one of our kind. He is a risk to our species. Though, if you so choose it, it will only be his life that is forfeited. You and your brother are free to leave if you wish," Natalia continued.

Francis glared at her and she smirked.

"Exactly," she said and I saw Feliks look hopeful.

"Unless," Ivan interrupted, looking annoyed at how Natalia had changed the course of the conversation to a more morbid one. "Unless you change Arthur into a vampire?" Ivan asked.

Francis hesitated. "And if I do?" he asked.

"Then you could go home and tell Roderich I give him and his beautiful wife my regards," he replied. His smile grew. "But you would have to mean it, first."

Ivan held up a hand in front of us.

Francis looked at me and I gave him a desperate look. "Just mean it," I whispered to him. I had been ready for immortality since last year. "Please."

Francis still looked hesitant and I felt my heart sink. Would he really prefer dying over having me forever?

Feliciano looked between us, looking fearful. Suddenly, the scared expression that had been on his face ever since we met Feliks and Toris near the theatre dissolved into a calmer one. Letting go of me, he surprised Francis and I by stepping towards Ivan and placing his hand on Ivan's.

Minutes trickled by as Ivan closed his eyes and concentrated on whatever Feliciano was telling him. I was surprised at how calm Feliciano seemed. I was proud at how Feliciano wasn't even shaking; whatever he knew seemed to be in our favour.

Finally Ivan spoke again, letting go of Feliciano's hand. "How very interesting," he said through giggles. "It's a wonder at how you see these things – things that have not even happened yet," he added in awe, looking at Feliciano with appreciation. "I cannot wait to see how Arthur is like in the future!" he remarked.

"Y-yes," Feliciano said, stepping back to rejoin us. He took my hand and I squeezed it reassuringly, wondering what on earth Feliciano had shown Ivan. Ivan seemed to be convinced that I was going to be turning into one of them – it was obvious he had no idea how subject Feliciano's visions could be. Feliciano _had _seen me dying last year and yet here I was, alive. But still, I wasn't complaining; the less Ivan knew about that the greater chance we could make it out alive.

"May we go now?" Francis asked testily, trying to sound calm.

"Of course," Ivan said cheerfully. "But do please come and visit – it was fascinating to meet you three!"

"We will visit as well," Natalia added, looking straight at me. "To make sure you follow up on your promise. If I were you, I would do it as quickly as possible. We do not give second chances."

Francis nodded, looking tense.

Feliks looked disappointed. Ivan noticed this and smirked.

"Patience, Aleksandar should be back soon," Ivan told him.

"Then we should leave quickly," Francis spoke up, taking Feliciano and I by the hands.

"That would be a smart idea," Ivan agreed. "Please wait until after dark so you are not discovered," Ivan added.

"We shall," Francis said with a nod and I inwardly groaned at having to stay in this awful place for even longer.

Toris stepped forward and motioned for us to follow; leading us back to the door we came from.

"Oh no," Feliciano said softly, as though he suddenly realized what was going on. I shot him a look but he shook his head, pushing me forward faster.

A crowd of people were coming through the door we were walking towards, all of the people in the crowd very human. My eyebrows crinkled in confusion.

"Welcome to Russia!" I heard Ivan say behind us before Francis pulled me out of the room with Feliciano. Toris gave us a sympathetic look and led us away from the room. It was then it hit me what was going to happen. My mouth gaped open.

The hallway leading away from the room was empty, save for one man. He was very handsome and he dressed to impress – his eyes a bizarre brown-red, possibly due to contacts on his eyes.

"Hello Aleksandar," Toris greeted as we approached the man. Aleksandar nodded, his eyes on us – especially me.

"Aren't you coming?" Aleksandar asked curiously. Toris nodded, gesturing to us.

"Let me first escort these three out. Save some for me?" Toris asked. Aleksandar nodded, grinning.

"Be sure to hit this one – just by looking at him I feel like hitting him," Aleksandar added teasingly, pointing at Feliciano. Feliciano looked confused and Francis pushed him along.

"I won't hit him," Toris replied but Aleksandar had already begun walking away. Francis suddenly looked tenser, pulling Feliciano and I and walking so fast I had to run to keep up with him. But it was too late.

We weren't even near the door at the end of the hallway when the screaming began.

* * *

**A/N: Any guesses to who Aleksandar is? **

**Review please~**


	26. Chapter 24

Chapter Twenty-Four:

Toris left us in that bright sunny room with Tatiana. I could hear peaceful classical music that Roderich would've liked playing from unknown places, creating an illusion of peace.

"Remember to stay here until dark," Toris told us, hurrying away before their…meal was finished. Tatiana watched as Toris exited, still looking as unsurprised by it all as ever.

I waited for Toris to be gone before fuming at Francis. "How could they _do_ such a thing to those poor people!" I exclaimed.

"Welcome to what the rest of our kind is like," Francis said drily, sitting down on one of the stylish chairs. I sat down next to him, Feliciano beside me.

"It's _inhumane_ – how could they hunt like this? Do they _relish_ in the screams of those people? Don't they remember what it was like to be human?" I fumed.

"Yes and no. They're very old vampires, Arthur; much older than Roderich, and he's around 4 or 5 hundred. I'm only 100 and something and already my human life is a faded memory – imagine what it must be like for them," Francis answered, looking away. He picked up a stray magazine and flipped through it idly, though I knew he wasn't really paying attention; he was just waiting for night to fall so we could be out of the stupid creepy place once and for all.

"I want to leave," I grumbled, crossing my arms in earnest. I probably looked like a child right about now, but I didn't care.

"We'll be leaving at night, nothing happens to keep us here," Feliciano reassured me, his cheery disposition returning now that we were away from Ivan and his creepy aura.

"The time is 4 in the afternoon," Tatiana offered helpfully. I glanced at her and she gave me a smile. I wondered if she knew what her fate would be, eventually to be killed off and served as food for these monsters after serving them for a decent amount of time.

"What was that Russian word Ivan called Arthur?" Feliciano asked suddenly, staring at Francis curiously.

Francis smiled sardonically. "Vash Pevitsy – blood singer. They call humans with blood like Arthur's to mine Blood Singers because it's like their blood sings for us," he answered. Feliciano's eyes widened.

"Oh," he said in a very small voice. The two of them continued to talk, though of what, I wasn't really sure of. Now that the danger was over, my exhaustion finally hit me. My eyes fluttered to stay open as I heard the gentle murmur of their voices. They were talking much too fast for either Tatiana or me to hear but I could catch certain words in their conversation. I supposed they were discussing stealing a car to get back to the airport.

Though I fought to not look at him, I knew Francis was staring at me the entire time while he was talking to Feliciano. I made him know that I was still furious at him by pulling away whenever he tried to hold my hand or stroke my cheek. I didn't care if I was hurting Francis' feelings though I probably wasn't. The bastard left me to go pursue people without being tied down; I highly doubted he was going to return to me.

Finally, as I was just about to give up trying to stay awake and fall asleep, Lili came walking back into the room, her dress spotless and her eyes still as soulless as ever.

"You may leave now," she said kindly, as though we were best friends and as though her eyes didn't creep me out immensely. "All we ask is that you don't stay in Moscow for longer," she added.

Francis rolled his eyes. "That will not be a problem," he told her coldly. Lili beamed at us.

"Goodbye," she said in a singsong voice as we stood up. I looked up only to see her walking away.

"Just go down that hall to reach the elevators. The elevators will take you to the lobby and it exits into the street. Thank you for visiting," she said in her cheerful voice.

Francis glared at her.

It was a struggle trying to walk down the goddamn hallway and to get back onto the street. Francis shed his coat before leaving, though the stares we received as he walked down with his hairy legs showing wearing nothing but a jacket in the cool Russian night defeated the purpose of him taking off the coat to blend in with the rest of the population.

"Did you honestly have to strip naked?" I muttered under my breath as a woman covered her child's eyes when we passed. I glanced over to my left and noticed Feliciano was no longer there.

"Feliciano's gone to get me some clothes, as well as your things," Francis told me, smiling down at me. If he honestly thought that smiling would make me un-angry, he was completely wrong. I scowled at him.

"I suppose he's gone to steal a car, hasn't he?" I added, realizing we had no way to get to the airport. Feliciano apparently, in a fit of guilt, had returned the car he had originally stolen. Francis laughed.

"Lovino was the one who taught him how to pick car locks," Francis informed me. Honestly, I wasn't quite surprised; Lovino always did seem like the mafia type.

I shuddered slightly as a cool evening breeze blew past us. I don't know why people complain about England's weather; the evening temperature here in Russia was far worse. Francis shot me a concerned look.

"Are you cold?" he asked, wrapping an arm around me. I made a face.

"Yes, because you with your frozen solid arms are going to warm me up, aren't they?" I asked and Francis let go of me immediately. I wasn't sad that he did that, not at all.

There was a flash of light from behind us, casting long shadows ahead of us. Francis grabbed my arm and pulled me to the side just as Feliciano pulled up next to us in a rather old looking car. I walked towards the passenger's seat and climbed in next to Feliciano. Francis gave Feliciano a look and Feliciano moved to the back so Francis could drive. I promptly got out of the shotgun seat and sat next to Feliciano in the back. I heard Francis let out an annoyed sigh.

"Ve, I wish there was a better car to steal," Feliciano said wistfully as Francis drove off, fingering the fading fabric seats.

"If you want, I can get you that car for Christmas," Francis remarked. Feliciano's eyes lit up.

"You would – really?" he asked eagerly, hopping in his seat.

"A Lamborghini Murcielago, right?" Francis asked. It sounded quite expensive, though I wasn't sure by how much. Probably loads though, judging from the name. Feliciano nodded frantically, his head looking like it was going to snap.

My eyes fluttered to stay open and I stifled a yawn, rubbing my eyes in hopes it'd keep me awake. Francis noticed this from the rearview mirror and frowned.

"Sleep," he said, pulling out of the highway and onto the road. I recognized the route; we were almost at the airport.

"I'm not tired," I protested, a yawn betraying me. Francis rolled his eyes and continued to drive.

The airplane trip itself wasn't as tiring. Feliciano decided that it would be fun if he and I watched one of the movies they were playing…and discuss it the entire time. Listening to him talk animatedly managed to keep me awake. Francis, who had been sitting beside me the entire time, stayed quiet, watching Feliciano and I thoughtfully. I wondered what he was thinking, and then told myself firmly that I didn't really care. After all, Francis was just going to drop me off at home and go back to gallivanting around the world with sluts and whores and others of that variety. And I didn't care at all. I hoped that at least Feliciano would stay for a bit longer – I missed having the bubbly Italian with me.

As the plane began its decent in England, I felt my stomach churn nervously. Albert was going to kill me for running off without practically any notice.

The airport was sparse due to the early time and I spotted our welcoming party from a mile away. Elizaveta was still as beautiful as ever as she rushed over to us to give me a bone-crushing hug.

"Oh, Arthur!" she exclaimed, hugging me tightly. "Thank you so much," she whispered into my ear. She let go of me slightly [and I was able to breathe again] and glared at Francis. "You do that again and I'll dent your skull with a frying pan," she growled at Francis. Francis smiled at her good-naturedly.

"I won't," he promised his mother.

"Thank you," Roderich said, shaking my hand and pried his wife off of me.

Meanwhile, Feliciano had run off and was hugging Ludwig tightly, Ludwig whispering something in Feliciano's ear as he rubbed the shorter man's back. I looked away from them; the moment seemed so private, I was starting to feel awkward just watching. Francis took me by the hand [I was too exhausted to realize this or care, really – I wasn't _letting_ him hold my hand intentionally] and led me out of the airport, holding my luggage in his other hand. I stumbled forwards, slapping myself absently to keep me awake.

We walked outside and towards the Paye car, where we saw Antonio and Lovino leaning against it.

The surprise of seeing them jolted me awake.

Francis growled beside me, giving Lovino a glare. I glanced at Lovino and blinked; I think this was the first time I had seen Lovino _not_ glaring.

"Don't," Elizaveta hissed, grabbing Francis by the arm. "He feels like shit."

"He should," Francis said loudly, staring intently at Lovino.

"He wants to apologize," Elizaveta insisted.

"I don't accept," Francis replied coldly.

"Let him apologize," I said, feeling a flicker of annoyance. If _Lovino_ of all people wanted to apologize, that must really mean he meant it. Francis sighed and pulled me towards the other couple, Elizaveta rejoining Roderich, Ludwig and Feliciano at their car.

"Hola, Arthur," Antonio greeted me cheerfully, glancing at Francis quickly before turning back to me. Lovino and Francis stared at each other.

"Hello," I replied, feeling nervous. I could suddenly feel the tension from Francis and it felt like there was going to be a fight very soon. Evidently Antonio felt the same way; he inconspicuously put an arm around Lovino's waist, as if to stop him from lunging. Oddly enough, Lovino didn't swat the arm away the way he normally would.

"Francis," Lovino began hesitantly.

"Yes?" Francis asked expectantly.

"I'm…" Lovino took a deep breath in. He glanced at me quickly before looking at Francis again. "I'm sorry."

"I know," Francis replied coldly.

There was a silence.

"…Arthur?" Lovino said finally…to me. I stared at him in shock. I do believe that that was the very first time Lovino had addressed me and had even said my name instead of 'that human'.

"Yes?" I asked, warily.

"…" Lovino glanced at Antonio. Antonio gave him a look. Lovino sighed. "I'm…sorry, okay? I didn't mean to…you know. I'm an asshole, I know-"

"You are," Francis agreed and Lovino glared at him.

"But I'm sorry," Lovino continued. "And I guess…thanks for saving Francis." Antonio nudged him. "What?" Lovino demanded. "Oh right. Forgive me?" he asked, looking away from me in his embarrassment.

"Y-yes," I stuttered, feeling just as embarrassed as Lovino looked. My cheeks heated up. I wasn't good at apologizing or forgiving people. "It's not your fault – I fell off the bloody cliff, not you," I muttered. "You're forgiven."

Antonio laughed. "It doesn't count until he's actually conscious," he teased and Lovino glared at him, finally ripping the Spaniard's arm away from his waist.

"I'm conscious," I snapped, my face turning red as I realized my words were slurred together.

Francis opened the door to the backseat of the car and pushed me in. He climbed in after me. "Sleep," he said gently, as Antonio and Lovino got into the car and Antonio started the engine. Too tired to resist anything anymore, I let myself rest against Francis and let sleep take over me.

I was semi-conscious went the gentle vibrating of the car finally stopped. I heard a door open and faintly felt Francis put his cold arms around me and pick me up. I wondered if we were at my house.

And then I heard Albert and I knew we were.

"Arthur!" I heard him yelling. There were loud footsteps and it sounded like he was running towards us.

"Dad?" I mumbled. Francis shushed me and began walking forwards.

"You have a lot of nerve, coming back here after what you did to my son," Albert growled, his voice closer to us now.

"Dad, calm down," I tried to say.

"What's wrong with him? What have you done to my son?" Albert demanded angrily.

"He's just really tired," Francis protested. "Let him sleep."

"Get your hands off of him!" Albert replied.

"Dad, calm down," I said, louder this time. I finally opened my eyes to look into my dad's furious green eyes. We were in the front yard and the front door was wide open.

"Get inside," Albert growled. I had never seen my father this angry before. I was starting to get kind of scared.

"I'll put Arthur to bed and then leave," Francis promised. "He's too tired to walk by himself." He didn't bother waiting for Albert's reply, already walking into my house. Exhaustion got the better of me, and despite my futile attempts, sleep claimed me again.

The last thing I remembered was Francis setting me down on my bed and his lips brushing against my forehead.

* * *

**A/N: Arthur's in a lot of shit, isn't he? Anyways, I'm done my exams so yay, I have time to write! Any long periods of time sans updates from now on are thanks to me being incredibly lazy. **

**Thanks to everyone who replied back last chapter with who Aleksandar is~! As most of you guessed, Aleksandar is indeed Bulgaria 8D**

**Review? There are only two more chapters and an epilogue left~!**


	27. Chapter 25

Chapter Twenty-Five:

I was grounded, I knew it. I didn't want to open my eyes the next morning, knowing that Albert was going to ground me forever and ever until I was at least in my late sixties. But eventually the darkness got to me and I opened my eyes.

And saw Francis sitting on my bed not too far away.

I let out a strange yelp, covering my mouth quickly. After so many months of not seeing him, it was almost bizarre to see the frog sitting there, sparkling like he had just taken a bath in glitter as the morning sun shone through my window.

"Surprised?" Francis asked, amused. I glared at him; I wasn't done being mad at him yet.

"No," I sniffed. "I'm just…" I paused to think of a good word to describe how I felt.

"I'm happy," Francis replied, leaning forwards to stroke my cheek. The movement was so fast I hadn't even had time to swat it away.

"Why? Are you leaving soon?" I asked testily. Off to go consort with bimbos and the like?

"No," Francis replied, staring at me.

"Then why?" I asked.

"Because I'm here, with you. I have an amazing memory, but seeing you right here before me is much better than any image my mind could've thought up," Francis replied, smiling at me. I rolled my eyes.

"I'm not falling for that bullshit again," I snapped, moving to a sitting position. Francis looked confused.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"You say that now, but then later you're just going to tell me that I was a mere amusement," I replied, glaring at him. Francis stared at me.

"Did you _honestly_ believe what I said to you that day?" he demanded, glaring back at me.

"Well, of course! Why wouldn't I?" I shot back. Francis sighed, coming closer to me.

"Arthur," he said in a gentler voice, "I'm a good liar when it's necessary for me to be," he murmured.

"So what are you saying?" I asked.

"I'm saying, I meant nothing I said to you that day. But I had no choice; being with me was putting you into danger more and more and I wouldn't be able to _live_ if something happened to you thanks to me. I thought…I thought perhaps if I moved on…it'd anger you into moving on as well," Francis whispered.

"Oh," I said in a small voice. So everything he said to me _wasn't_ true?

"You have no idea how much it hurt to see you believe me so easily," Francis continued, looking hurt. "Did you honestly have that little confidence in how much I loved you? I thought it'd take me hours to get it through that we were over. A part of me was hoping that your insufferable stubbornness would refuse to let me go and you'd somehow convince me to stay," Francis added, stroking my cheek. I absently swatted the hand away but let Francis pull me closer. It felt like an eternity since the last time I nearly froze to death in his arms.

"Did you really have lecherous adventures with people all over the world?" I asked cautiously, feeling slightly awkward. It had been so long since I had last…cuddled with someone that it felt odd to me. How long _had_ it been anyways? A year?

Francis made a face. "I couldn't bring myself to; I missed you too much. So I went tracking," he replied.

"Tracking?" I asked.

"What Yao was. I was hunting for Yong Soo. I couldn't figure out-"

"You were looking for _Yong Soo_?" I demanded, lowering my voice just in time. "Are you in_sane_? You could've been killed! And besides, he was here the entire-"

"I know. Feliciano told me. I don't know what scared me more; the fact that Yong Soo was here or the fact that you had chosen to seek refuge with unstable young _werewolves_," Francis replied. I hated how he said werewolves. He made them sound like it was a disease or something disgusting like that.

"They aren't as bloody unstable as you think they are," I shot back. I remembered Alfred and Miguel charging at each other and decided to keep that to myself. Francis didn't need to know that. "They honestly aren't my biggest fears right now. I'd worry more about them arguing then about them possibly killing me," I added.

Francis' eyebrow rose. "Oh? And what would be one of your biggest fears, then?" Francis asked.

"Yong Soo being after me," I replied.

"Apart from that," Francis said.

I paused. "The Ceemya coming back for me," I whispered. Francis rolled his eyes.

"I wouldn't be so afraid if I were you. The Ceemya is a busy family. They've probably already gone to resolve some other conflicts. I wouldn't be surprised if they don't remember you until you're forty," Francis said lightly.

I blanched. Forty?

"So you're planning on keeping me human for as long as possible then?" I asked frostily. So everything Francis had promised to Ivan and his sisters was just a bloody lie. I pulled away from Francis, glaring at him.

"That's the plan," Francis said.

"You _do_ realize that eventually I'll end up looking like your father – your _grandfather_ even?" I prompted.

"But to me you will still remain that adorable yet stubborn boy that I fell in love with," Francis replied smoothly. He sounded so sure of himself; I wondered how much thought he had put into this stupid plan.

"And when I die?" I asked.

"I would follow you into the next life," Francis replied melodramatically.

"That's stupid," I shot at him.

"It's the only way we have left," Francis said.

"But what about the Ceemya? You heard Natalia – they'd kill me if I wasn't a vampire when they come to check up on me," I shot at him. "They wouldn't spare me if they found out I'm still human."

Francis smirked. "Don't worry, I have a plan," he replied flippantly.

"And this plan involves me staying human," I said drily.

The tone in my voice made Francis frown. "Of course," he replied.

We glared at each other in silence.

I finally stood up away from him. I walked towards the washroom to quickly brush my teeth. When I came back Francis was still lounging in my bed. I ignored him to quickly find something to wear other than my ratty pyjama bottoms.

"Do you want me to leave?" Francis asked after watching me attempt to pull on a pair of jeans without him seeing anything embarrassing. I was almost pleased with how hurt the suggestion made him feel – though he tried to hide it.

"That's alright. I'm leaving. Make yourself home here," I replied, pulling a shirt on. I knew Albert would probably have a fit if he found out I had left in the night but I needed to take matters into my own hands. Besides, I was already probably grounded for life as it was. I walked out of the room and started down the hallway, Francis ghosting behind me, silent as ever.

"Where to?" Francis asked in a low voice.

"Your house, of course," I replied casually, going down the stairs. Francis followed, making no sound whatsoever.

"And how are you getting there?" Francis asked.

"My truck?" I said, prying the front door open slowly and walking out. I locked it quickly and made my way to the driveway.

"But wouldn't you wake your father up?" Francis asked.

"Would you like to take me then?" I asked him.

"Why are you going to my house anyways?" Francis asked, still looking suspicious.

"Because if you're honestly going to let the Ceemya kill us all on something as stupid as me staying human than I think your family needs to have a say," I said firmly.

"A say in what?" Francis growled.

"A say in me staying human. I'm putting it to a vote."


	28. Chapter 26

Chapter Twenty-Six:

Francis was silent the entire ride to his house. I didn't care; I was too busy marveling at how easy it was for me to remember how to stay on his back as he ran back to his house. It was like riding a bike; you never forget.

"Can I have my stuff back?" I asked suddenly, remembering the pictures and the stereo that Francis had taken when he left. _When he left_ – it was bizarre how I was able to calmly remember that moment in my life without wanting to strangle something or curl up into a tiny ball.

"You always had it with you – I left them in a loose floorboard in your room," Francis replied. He turned his head to give me a bit of a smirk. "Just like in Harry Potter," he teased and I grinned back before realizing what I was doing and stopped. And then I gave up trying to hide my feelings and pressed my head against his, kissing his neck lightly. I was getting sick of making it seem like I didn't care. Maybe I'd just do that in public. In private, I'd show Francis that I loved him. Maybe – if he wasn't being annoying.

"I should've guessed. Maybe having that part of you near me was partially why I kept hearing your voice," I said lightly. Francis stopped mid-run.

"Hearing my voice?" Francis asked. Whoops. I hadn't meant to say that out loud.

"Oh you know, sometimes I hear your voice when I'm doing stuff and-"

"What stuff, Arthur?" Francis asked suspiciously.

"Fun stuff?" I asked hopefully.

"Like?"

"Oh you know, riding motorcycles, jumping off cliffs…"

"Things that would get you killed, basically," Francis concluded. I flushed.

"Pretty much," I replied. Francis shook his head.

"I don't believe this. Are you really that stupid?" Francis fumed.

"Possibly, yes," I replied and Francis sighed.

"I can't believe you would do something so reckless," Francis muttered under his breath, starting to run again. We were almost at the Paye house. "Though, I must admit; you did a lot better than I did," he added.

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused.

"At least you bothered trying to survive. After leaving you…I was hopeless. You have no idea how many times Lovino yelled at me for just sitting in my room doing absolutely nothing but feel pathetic," Francis said.

"Oddly, I can see that happening," I remarked.

"I couldn't bring myself to do anything without you. It was like living in purgatory," Francis continued.

"Like Romeo without Juliet," I said. It seemed like centuries since my 18th birthday when we had watched Romeo and Juliet together.

"Yes, I suppose so," Francis agreed.

We came to a stop in front of his house.

"You do realize I'm only letting you do this as a way of humouring you, right?" Francis asked.

"This matters to them too," I replied, hopping off of Francis' back and stepping into the house. Francis followed, quietly calling out the names of his family members.

"Is something wrong?" Roderich asked, appearing at the front of the house.

"Arthur wants to hold a family meeting," Francis said drily. Roderich stared at me.

"I need all your opinions on something," I said. Roderich nodded, glancing at Francis quickly.

"How about we discuss this in the other room?" Roderich asked, leading us into the dining room. It was quite strange seeing the rest of the Paye family sitting around the dining table; the thing was merely a prop after all, it's not like they ever used it.

Francis pushed me to sit at the head of the table; he sitting on my right and Roderich to my left, beside Elizaveta. Feliciano sat beside Francis, beaming at me. He probably knew what was going to happen, knowing him. Ludwig and Antonio sat not too far away, Lovino sitting beside Antonio, directly across from me. With a nudge from Antonio, Lovino shot me a tentative smile that I returned quite awkwardly. It almost freaky seeing Lovino smile.

I took a deep breath in as Roderich motioned for me to begin, all eyes on me.

"So you all know that Feliciano promised Ivan of the Ceemya that I would be a vampire by the time they came to visit," I began. "And quite frankly, I believe it's all up to you guys whether or not you want me to. After all, they promised to kill you all if I was still human. If you don't want me to be a vampire, that's fine. I'll just go back to Russia myself; I don't want them coming here and hurting you all too," I said. Francis scowled at this but I ignored him. "So I want to put it to a vote. Yes or no, that's really all that matters," I concluded, feeling rather awkward.

"Well there _is_ something else," Francis interrupted quickly. I turned to glare at him suspiciously.

"What?" I asked.

"I didn't shake Ivan's hand for a reason, Arthur. I didn't want him to have any way of finding out. You remember Toris?" he asked me.

I thought back to the timid vampire we had met in Russia. "Yes," I said slowly.

"Toris is a tracker. It's his superpower; he can find anyone," Francis continued. "It's hard to explain…but I suppose he can catch the mind wave of someone and use that to find them; it's similar to Ivan's ability as well as mine."

"What does this have to do with me?" I asked testily.

"Well, we already know that Ivan's nor my power have any effect over you, don't we?" Francis asked, smirking. "All we have to do is when Feliciano sees the Ceemya coming, hide you and they won't be able to find you. It's perfect!" Francis said, his smirk growing.

"And what about you? They're not going to leave you alone once they realize I'm gone," I shot back. Francis shrugged.

"I'll handle it," Francis said casually and Antonio grinned too.

"I've always wanted to fight the Ceemya," he said eagerly. The two fist-bumped.

"No," I said quickly.

"You fucking _idiot_," Lovino hissed. "You're not fighting the fucking Ceemya!" he exclaimed, smacking Antonio's arm.

"I agree – that's bloody dangerous," I added.

"It's not a good idea," Feliciano said, staring at his brothers with horror.

"It would be fun," Ludwig agreed reluctantly, looking away when Feliciano turned on him.

"Don't make me get my frying pan out," Elizaveta growled, glaring at her sons.

"Now that Francis has offered that truly wonderful and definitely not life-threatening alternative option," I said in a loud voice, bringing the attention back to me. "Let's start the voting." I glanced at Francis first to get his vote out of the way. "What will it be? Will I be changed or no?" I asked him.

"Non," Francis replied, glaring at me.

"Feliciano?" I asked, turning away from him.

"Yes! I want you to be my brother!" Feliciano exclaimed cheerfully, cowering a little when Francis glared at him.

"Ludwig?" I asked.

"…yes," he said, nodding at me quickly. I was slightly surprised; I had no idea whether or not I had Ludwig's support, but I supposed he would follow Feliciano.

"Lovino?" I asked hesitantly.

Lovino stared at me, frowning. "No," he said finally.

"Okay," I said, feeling my heart sink a little. I was hoping that the vote would be unanimous, save for Francis.

"But let me explain," Lovino said quickly before I could turn to Antonio. "It's not that I don't want you as a brother – if anything, you're probably better than that potato bastard or Francis – but…I never got the chance to choose this stupid life for myself and I fucking hate it. I wish there was someone to vote no for me," he muttered, looking away.

I nodded and turned to Antonio.

"Antonio?" I asked. I wondered if he would vote no along with Lovino.

"You can be annoying at times but I like you! And Francis likes you! So I vote yes – we'll figure out some other way to destroy that Toris guy and the Ceemya," Antonio said cheerfully.

"Elizaveta?" I asked, turning to the only woman in the group. Elizaveta smiled at me.

"I already consider you one of my sons," she said gently, reaching over to take my hand into her cold ones. I smiled at her too.

"Thank you," I said. I turned to her husband. "Roderich?" I asked.

Roderich glanced at Francis and sighed.

"Francis," he started to say.

"Non," Francis interrupted, glaring at Roderich.

"You leave me no choice, Francis. You're one of my sons and you've already proven that you can't live without him. My vote is yes," Roderich said.

Francis stalked out of the room angrily. Quite childishly too, I might add. We heard something smash from the other room and I flinched at the noise.

"If he broke my vase I'll kill him," Elizaveta muttered under her breath.

"Thank you for voting yes, everyone," I said, trying to ignore the loud swearing in French coming from the other room. "I really am so relieved that you think of me as family, and I think the same way towards you too."

Elizaveta was at my side in a flash, hugging my tightly. Feliciano joined in the embrace and it felt like I was hugging two icebergs.

"So," I said when they let go of me, "when do you want to transform me?"

"What?" Feliciano asked.

"You could transform me tonight, if you want," I offered.

There was a shocked silence.

"NO!" Francis yelled, running back into the room in horror. "Not tonight!"

"I wouldn't be able to do it without preparing," Feliciano said, looking distressed. I shrugged.

"I could always wait 'til you're ready. Or Roderich, actually you would be a better—"

"You aren't being changed tonight, Arthur," Francis growled in a finite voice. "Think about your father; you escaped from your bed to do this, don't you think your father will call the police once he realizes you're missing and probably with me?"

"There are only five policemen," I scoffed but Francis had a point. If the Payes changed me now we'd have to move away to escape being caught by anyone. I wouldn't be able to see my father or my mother or even Alfred again. And I owed Alfred at least a goodbye before turning into the very monster he despised.

"If you're willing to listen, may I suggest something?" Ludwig said suddenly. Francis gave him a look but didn't say anything. "Perhaps it would be wise to leave your transformation off until your graduation so it gives you an excuse to leave the city without arousing suspicion," Ludwig told me, ignoring Francis.

I thought it over. Ludwig had a point; I could get accepted to some university [although I was positive that there was no university that would accept me on such late notice] and move away to presumably continue my education when really I would be living with the Paye family somewhere else, perhaps Greece with the other coven.

"Fine," I said with a nod. "I'll wait until graduation."

Francis let out an exasperated sigh. "Fine. Now I should take you home before your father wakes up," Francis said, taking my arm.

I glanced at Roderich. "Do you promise to change me after graduation?" I asked.

"I promise," Roderich said, glancing at Francis quickly.

"Now let's go," Francis said.

The ride back was silent. I didn't want to know what Francis was thinking of; probably ways to make me reconsider my deal.

Francis didn't even pause to let me get ready as he climbed to my bedroom room and threw me onto the bed. He sat down nearby me, staring off into space thoughtfully.

I prodded Francis with my foot. "Whatever you're planning isn't going to work," I informed him.

"It will," Francis replied, flashing me a smile. I glared at him. "Arthur," he began suddenly.

"What?" I asked suspiciously.

"If you could have anything in the world, what would it be?" Francis asked.

"A unicorn," I replied. Francis stared at me.

"A unicorn?" Francis asked. I shrugged.

"They're majestic creatures," I defended. Francis rolled his eyes.

"Anything else?" he prompted.

"You turning me into a vampire instead of Roderich," I replied, already expecting Francis' horrified no. Or non, since he had a tendency to burst into random French.

"How long would you be willing to wait?" Francis asked, surprising me. I stared at him suspiciously.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"How long would you be willing to wait before I turn you into one of us," Francis asked.

"I thought you didn't want me to turn into a vampire," I said slowly.

"I don't. But it seems as though you'll become one whether I like it or not so I might as well get used to it," Francis said with a sigh. "Now how long?"

"After graduation," I said quickly. Francis scowled.

"No. Five years?" he asked hopefully. I blanched.

"No!" I said, lowering my voice quickly before my father woke up.

"Three years," Francis said and I shook my head again. I'd be twenty-one then and Francis would be seventeen; even if Francis was technically older I'd still feel like a pedophile for dating someone who was perpetually a teenager while I was an adult.

"Six months," I suggested, trying to be a bit more lenient. Francis scowled at me.

"Two years," he begged and I glared at him.

"A year and that's final. I can handle being nineteen but not twenty. I don't want to look like a pedophile," I told him.

"You wouldn't age much in two years," Francis protested. I glared at him and he frowned. "You're such a woman," he said under his breath. "But fine, if time limitations really are so hard to negotiate with you then how about something else. I shall transform you to a monster of the night on one condition," Francis said.

I stared at him suspiciously. "What condition is that?" I asked slowly.

"Marry me," Francis said with a beam.

I stared at him.

And then blinked in horror.

"Marry you?" I exclaimed, dropping my voice to a whisper again after hearing my father snort in his sleep from the other room. "Marry _you_?"

"Mon cher, you wound me so," Francis said with a dramatic sniff. "I just proposed to you, is this how you're supposed to react?"

"How am I supposed to act, Francis," I shot back. "You do realize that we're too young for this," I said, trying to be reasonable. I knew Francis liked the notion of being romantic and such but really? A wedding? Most teenagers I knew didn't even _think_ about marriage until their late twenties.

"You're a legal adult and I am one hundred and something years old," Francis answered smoothly. "I'm sure Elizaveta would be pleased if I finally settled down; I'm getting a little too old for dating," Francis joked lightly.

"My parents got married at a young age and look at them now! Pardon me if I'm not willing to get married based off of that," I snapped at him. Francis shrugged.

"Afraid of the commitment, are we?" Francis teased. "If you're too scared of getting married, how on earth will you be able to commit to the idea of being a monster?"

I glared at him and wondered why I was dating him.

"My parents wouldn't approve," I said as a last resort. Francis shrugged.

"We could convince them," he said smoothly.

"I'll wait two years, you win," I said in exasperation.

"That deal is over; you couldn't compromise so I changed it. Besides," he said with an evil grin, "I like this deal _much_ better."

"I hate you," I muttered, lying down on my bed and rolling onto my stomach.

"Is that why you won't marry me?" Francis teased, lying down beside me.

"Shut up," I muttered, punching his chest. I winced in pain; that hadn't been a good idea. Francis chuckled as I cradled my hurt hand.

"You know, you would make a beautiful bride," Francis said thoughtfully.

"I'm not a woman," I said with a scowl.

"Elizaveta would let you use her wedding dress," Francis continued, still looking thoughtful.

"I'm never wearing a dress again," I hissed, remembering the time I had to in order to escape Yao. "And I'm not a woman!" I added as an afterthought.

"But you would look _so_ pretty—"

"I'm not a woman!" I exclaimed.

"Arthur?" a voice called out from the other room.

"Shit," I whispered, glancing at Francis worriedly. Francis rolled his eyes at me.

"Intelligent," he said, getting off the bed.

"Don't leave," I whispered. Francis smiled at me and I quickly added, "Because we're not done negotiating."

"Yes we are," Francis replied, walking towards the window. "You marry me and I'll turn you into a vampire. It's settled."

Before I could retort to that the bedroom door opened and I shut my eyes quickly.

"I know you're awake, Arthur," my father deadpanned and I flushed, sitting upright as he entered the room.

"I woke up a bit too early and decided to wait until you were awake so I could take a shower without disturbing you," I lied quickly. I stood up and grabbed my towel from a nearby stair.

"Hold on a minute," Albert said, turning the light on and blocking my way to the door. "We need to talk."

I grimaced, knowing what was going to come. Pity I hadn't asked Feliciano for a decent excuse to feed Albert.

"You are very aware of how much trouble you're in, right?" Albert asked, giving me a steely look.

"I'm prepared to face it," I replied calmly.

"Do you know how worried I was?" Albert demanded. "I come back from Conrad's funeral only to find out from Alfred that you've run off with Feliciano! Alfred thought you were in _danger_; how do you think that would've made me feel? You didn't leave a number or an address or even a message to tell me where you were – did you honestly think you could run off like that and not tell anyone?" he fumed at me.

I shook my head. "No, and it was stupid of me to assume you wouldn't worry. I suppose I must've been caught up in the moment and I didn't think. I'm sorry," I said.

"And _where_ did you go?" Albert demanded.

"To resolve an emergency," I said quickly. That wasn't a lie, was it? "It was just a misunderstanding and Feliciano needed me to help stop something from happening."

"And what was it?" Albert asked.

"Err…a while back I saw some of the Riverside boys cliff diving and thought it was pretty cool so Alfred took me and apparently Feliciano had seen and mistook it for me committing suicide so he panicked and told Lovino who told Francis who was…upset. Well, upset is an understatement. After Feliciano heard from their parents that Francis disappeared from their house looking distraught he got worried and tried calling Francis but Francis wouldn't pick up so Feliciano took me to...London to help convince Francis that I was alright and stop him from doing something rash," I said quickly. I had to admit, I managed to tell the truth without revealing anything else. Of course Alfred hadn't really taken me cliff diving but I was hoping that Albert wouldn't bother asking. "We managed to get him before it was too late," I added.

"Why would _Francis_ care?" Albert asked, saying the name as though it revolted him doing so. "He left you – alone in a forest, I may add – and—"

"It was another misunderstanding," I said quickly, hoping Albert wouldn't make me elaborate.

"So he's here to stay?" Albert asked, looking angry.

"I believe Dr. Paye managed to get his job at the hospital back," I said.

"I don't want you dating that boy, regardless if his family is staying here or not," Albert said firmly. I stared at him and knew Albert wouldn't budge no matter how hard I begged.

"Then I suppose I can't live here anymore," I said and Albert blinked at me, not comprehending.

"You would move out…? All for that Paye boy?" Albert demanded, looking furious. I knew why Albert was so mad; I'd be mad too if my son, after a year of depression and lashing out at everyone, decided to go back to the very boy who broke his heart. Hell, I wasn't even sure why I was going back to Francis either. But it felt right and for once I needed to make a choice for myself. I wanted to stay with Francis; I had this bizarre feeling that this time would be different. Francis wouldn't leave this time; we both had experienced how much of a mistake that was.

"I love him," I said and it surprised me how easily those words came out. I barely ever even said them to Francis.

Albert stared at me and I knew he knew I wouldn't budge no matter how hard he begged. I inherited his stubbornness, after all. He sighed, staring up at the ceiling, and I waited for his response.

"I'm not happy with your decision," he told me finally and I nodded. It made perfect sense to me. "But…I don't want you to leave."

"So I can continue dating Francis?" I asked, mentally wincing at the term 'dating'. It felt so weird to say – so _normal_ considering how abnormal Francis was to most teenagers.

"Fine, but don't expect me to be civil to him," Albert grumbled and walked out of my bedroom. I let out a sigh of relief, lying back down on my bed.

"That went better than I expected," Francis remarked, appearing by my side out of nowhere. "I thought he would ban you from seeing me and then lock you up in the dungeon," he told me.

"What century were you born in?" I said with an eye roll.

"A time where getting married at eighteen wasn't so bad," Francis replied and I glared at him.

"I'm not discussing this anymore," I said, throwing my towel at him. Francis caught it lazily and tossed it onto a nearby chair.

"So you've finally decided to marry me?" Francis asked, climbing onto my bed eagerly.

"No, and I'm not discussing this anymore," I said, scowling. Francis sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Fine. Then what shall we talk about?" he asked, lying down beside me.

"I don't know," I said, starting to feel exhausted. I had been up for most of the night and it was finally taking a toll on me.

"How about how all the kids at school will be talking about me and Feliciano? It'll be like we're celebrities," Francis said lightly.

And it was just like that, with that little joking remark that I realized at five in the morning, lying next to the ice sculpture that Francis with the sun just peeking in through my window that Francis was here to stay. He wasn't leaving me ever again.

I'll admit it, knowing that felt good. Happier than I've felt for a while.

I surprised Francis by smiling and leaning in closer to him, letting my eyes flutter shut. "You can tell me what each of them will think as I fall asleep; it'll be my bedtime story," I said through a yawn. I opened an eye quickly though to give Francis a look. "But if you mention marriage or weddings or anything of the sort I will push you off the bed," I added.

Francis just laughed and pulled me closer, kissing me on the forehead as I drifted off into sleep.

* * *

**A/N: Only thing left is an epilogue and I'm done this story!**

**Now, for a sad announcement. I know I promised to do all four books in Hetalia verse and I know a bunch of you were looking forward to it too. But the fact is that I'm losing interest in writing this and it seems as the chapters progressed the reviews dwindled so it made me wonder if there was anyone who really cared in reading this story anymore. So I won't be writing Eclipse in Hetalia verse any time soon. **

**That being said, I'm not saying I've given up on this little series forever and ever. I'm close to entering my final year of high school and as much as I would love spending time and writing fanfiction, school is my top priority so until high school and the woes of applying for university are over, I probably won't be starting Eclipse and Breaking Dawn until much later. **

**Perhaps, if I get my inspiration and drive to write this series I'll continue it, but I'd hate to lead my readers on and let them wait for a sequel when there probably won't be one for a very long time. **

**I'm really sorry guys D: I'm also really sorry for my epically fail posting schedule. I remember when I was nearing the end of It's Bloody Early Evening I was posting chapters like, every week or something. Le sighe. **

**But yeah, that's all. Lo siento mucho ._.**


	29. Epilogue

Epilogue:

Before long, everything returned to normal – the pre-zombie, pre-depression normal – with my life, in shorter time than I would've expected it to happen. As expected, the hospital was overjoyed that Roderich had returned and welcomed him back with happy, open arms. Because I am the luckiest person in the world, I somehow managed to miss an important calculus test. Even Francis and Feliciano, who had been gone for an entire year, were in better shape to graduate than I was.

Did I also mention I had missed most university application deadlines? Yes, I was definitely very intelligent. But somehow, Francis managed to find applications and deadlines that still haven't come and would appear at my house every day with a stack of new ones. As much as my father loathed Francis' existence in our house, the fact Francis was helping me with my 'future' made Albert soften ever so slightly. He no longer glared at Francis the entire time Francis was at our house but still continued to give him the silent treatment. Of course, the entire time Francis was at our house was only four hours per day. I wasn't allowed out of the house except for school.

Speaking of school, my fellow classmates were only dully surprised at Francis' and Feliciano's return, Michelle and Taylor being the only two really horrified when they saw Francis' arm around my waist again. It was like everything was back to normal.

But not quite. As much as I tried to pretend, I knew my life wouldn't return back to the norm if Alfred still hated me. But I wasn't allowed out of the house and whenever Alfred's name was mentioned in the vicinity of Francis, Francis would get angry. So whenever Francis would go home after visiting hours were over, I would spend the two hours I had before Francis came through my bedroom window unknown to Albert to call Alfred and pray that he answer. Of course, the git wouldn't; he was probably still angry at me.

Weeks passed by and he still wouldn't pick up, still wouldn't answer the phone. My worry and guilt for him increased until I was just furious he was being a child about it all and was ignoring me.

"You have to understand, Arthur, that now that we're back, Alfred's going to keep a safe distance," Francis said soothingly, rubbing my shoulders as I vented at him about Alfred. We were sitting in Francis' car, watching the rain pour down, trying to spend as much time as possible before getting home.

"But he could at least call," I grumbled, feeling my body relax.

"He's a young werewolf, non?" Francis asked. "I doubt he would be able to control himself near me. An encounter with him would turn into a fight and I probably wouldn't be able to stop myself from killing him. You'd be upset if something happened to him, so I don't want that to ever happen," he added.

I looked away, not answering. I wasn't stupid; I knew that eventually, if the two met, one of them would die. If cutting off ties with Alfred was the only way to prevent that, then I would do it.

"Just take me home before Albert kills me," I muttered, staring out of the window. Francis put the car into ignition and began to drive, glancing at me worriedly.

"I think you're already in more trouble," he said, as we neared my house.

"What are you talking…?" I trailed off as I saw what was parked in my driveway.

My motorcycle.

I was screwed. Screwed beyond screwed. And if Francis was right and I was in more trouble, then that would mean that Albert knew that the motorcycle was mine. And only one person apart from me knew.

"I'm going to rip him into pieces," I growled, storming out of the car even before Francis had parked. If the git – the _wanker_ – thought he could regain my friendship by _betraying_ me he was sorely mistaken. Francis followed me out quickly, looking nervous. "Is he still here?" I hissed at Francis, who nodded.

"Over there," Francis said, pointing to an area near my house, a little area of forest.

"I'm going to murder him," I growled, stomping towards the little forest. Francis grabbed me by the arm.

"He's here for me, that's why he's still here," Francis cautioned as I attempted to drag him towards the forest. "He's here to talk."

"You can talk; I'm going to kill him," I snarled. Francis eventually loosened his grip and I nearly ran to the place Alfred was waiting for us.

The git was leaning against a fucking tree like he was the coolest motherfucker in the universe, wearing no shirt as usual, and scowling at us like _we_ were the bad guys.

Francis instinctively pushed me behind him slightly and I glowered at him before directing my glare at Alfred again.

"Arthur," Alfred said coldly to me.

"Asshole," I hissed. "Are you fucking _insane_? How could you tell my father about the motorcycles!"

Alfred's scowl vanished but he still glared at us. "It was for the best," he said in a hard voice.

"Don't give me that bullshit – did you even _think_? Do you want Albert to rip me into little tiny pieces? Or do you want to kill _him_ by heart attack like Conrad? Fuck whatever you were trying to do to me – how could you do that to _him_?" I half-yelled.

Alfred winced, suddenly looking a lot guiltier. But he didn't answer.

"He wasn't aiming to hurt anyone," Francis spoke up, looking almost amused. "He just wanted to get you grounded so I could see you as much."

"Shut up," Alfred growled, glaring at Francis.

"Are you _stupid_?" I fumed at Alfred angrily. "I'm _already_ grounded – why do you think I haven't driven to Riverside and kicked your ass for not answering my phone calls yet?"

Alfred stared at me, looking confused. "Y-you were already grounded?" he asked, surprise in his voice.

"He thought _I_ wouldn't let you out of the house, not Albert," Francis informed me.

"Stop that," Alfred growled and Francis smirked in response.

"As if I'd let a boy tell me what to do – I thought you knew me better than that!" I fumed, but Alfred wasn't paying attention to me any longer.

"So must know why I'm here, judging by your freakish ability," Alfred said to Francis through gritted teeth.

"Yes," Francis said. His smirk faded. "But before, may I say something?"

Alfred nodded curtly and waited, his body beginning to shudder. I felt myself cower back in fear.

"Thank you," Francis said, and I could hear the sincerity in his voice. I blinked at him in surprise, and I could tell Alfred was caught off guard too. "I owe you a lot. There is no language in the world to describe how grateful I am. I'll owe you for pretty much the rest of my existence."

Alfred glanced at me quickly but stared back at Francis, looking confused. He momentarily stopped shuddering.

"Thank you for keep Arthur," Francis elaborated. "When I couldn't."

"Francis," I said but he silenced me, still looking at Alfred.

I saw understanding flash in Alfred's eyes before his glare returned. "I didn't do it for you," Alfred growled.

"I know, but that doesn't stop me from being grateful. So I still thank you," Francis said. "If I could, I'd give you anything."

Alfred stared at him, an eyebrow raised. Francis frowned.

"Not that. That's not my choice to," Francis said.

"Then whose is it?" Alfred shot back.

"Arthur's. I'm here until Arthur wants me to leave," Francis said.

"You aren't leaving," I growled and Alfred gagged as Francis leaned down to kiss my forehead. In retrospect, he probably did it to spite Alfred, but it didn't stop the slight smile appearing on my face.

"You do remember the key points in the treaty, right?" Alfred shot at Francis suddenly, making us both look at him.

"What key points?" I demanded as Francis stated that he did remembered.

"Your precious bloodsuckers are not allowed to bite a human. The moment that happens, the truce is over and we kill them. Notice I say _bite_," he continued, noticing the look on my face, "not kill."

I glared at him coldly. "That's none of your business," I growled, realizing what Alfred was trying to imply.

Alfred stared at me in horror, his convulsions returning, stronger and more dangerous than ever. Alfred hadn't realized, hadn't _wanted_ to realize how willing I was to turn into a vampire. How willing I was to turn into his worst enemy.

Alfred's face turned a pale green as he fought to control himself. I took a hesitant step closer but Francis grabbed my arm quickly. "Careful, he's not in control," Francis murmured, worry in his eyes.

Alfred's head shot up to glare at Francis with pure hate. "_I'd_ never hurt him," he snapped at Francis and the insult didn't miss either of us.

"How dare you," Francis hissed, his hands balling into fists. I grabbed onto Francis with all my power, which wasn't that much.

"ARTHUR KIRKLAND, YOU GET INTO THIS HOUSE THIS INSTANT!" a voice yelled from the house, making us fall into horrified silence.

I was the first to speak, my voice shaking. "Fuck," I whispered, staring at the house worriedly.

"I'm sorry," Alfred said, still trying to control himself. "I thought it would help."

"Gee, thanks," I growled, sarcasm returning to my voice as my stomach churned nervously. Albert was going to kill me; he was going to ship me off to New York and make sure I could never set foot in England ever again.

"Just one last thing," Francis said quickly before Alfred could turn away. "Have you gotten any trace of Yong Soo from your side?"

Alfred shook his head. "The moment he smelled your little male vampire's scent he ran off. We haven't gotten any scent of him since," he said. Francis nodded curty.

"IF YOU DO NOT GET YOUR ARSE INTO THIS HOUSE IN ONE MINUTE, GOD HELP YOU!" Albert yelled from the house.

"Let's go," Francis said, tugging me away from Alfred.

"I'm sorry," Alfred whispered and I could see the misery on his face. I wished there were some way I could stop it…some way I could erase his pain…

I nodded at him and turned away, letting Francis lead me towards the house. I could hear Alfred run away from us, his clothes ripping as he transformed.

What the fuck was wrong with my life?

My boyfriend and best friend wanted to kill each other.

My best friend now considered me one of his enemies.

There was a psycho-vampire still on the loose, putting to risk anyone I was close to.

If I didn't become a vampire soon, the Ceemya would kill me.

If I _did_ become a vampire soon, the werewolves would kill us all, possibly killing themselves during the fight.

I had a fucked up life. Yet suddenly, none of that seemed as terrifying as the look on Albert's face as we walked up the driveway towards him. Suddenly, nothing seemed more appealing to me than turning and running the other direction, driving away so Albert could never find me and murder me.

Francis glanced down at me and took my hand into his, squeezing it gently. "I'm here," he whispered reassuringly, somehow managing to read what I was thinking despite the mind-block.

I took a deep breath in. Francis was right – I wasn't alone with this. I could face anything with Francis by my side.

And with that, I squared my shoulders bravely and tightened my grip on Francis' hand, walking forwards to meet my destiny.

And of course, I prayed that Albert wouldn't kill me.

**The End.**

* * *

**A/N: Words cannot describe how much I love every single one of you. Thank you for reading this story and reviewing and being so awesome despite me being a total dick and updating so sporatically. You make me want to continue to the series so bad, maybe story numero 3 will be coming soon~**

**I hope you'll follow me in other stories. You guys are so awesome! Thank you so much :D**

**~Awesomeness**


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